A Forgotten Promise
by teacupdestiny
Summary: Amy wakes up with no memories. Nothing. Blank as snow.  But she knows one thing: Somebody wanted her dead. And they won't stop until she is. T. Sonamy
1. Act 1: Part 1

_**[A/N]:**_

_**Hey ya'll:**_

_**This is Tai.**_

_**For my faithful fans, this will probably be you re-reading this, as I've recently begun editing this.**_

_**For example, I've combined Parts 1 and 2 of act 1. I will continue to do so for some of the other chapters. **_

_**For my first time readers:**_

_**This is my first story on . However, this is not my first story. **_

_**Some fyi's:**_

_**~This is a Sonic fanfiction. If you don't like Sonic or co, go bother someone else please. I don't care ^^**_

_**~These characters have been humanized. I find it's easier for writing.**_

_**~The point of views will be with the particular scene breaks. Acts will be sorta like chapters, alright? It's my style, sorry.**_

_**~Review! It helps me write better and it also gives me the drive to continue this project. Suggestions, ideas, reservations, and etc are ALL welcomed. **_

_**Last but not least, Enjoy!**_

_**Tai~**_

* * *

**A Forgotten Promise**

**ACT 1**: Tempest

**"The struggle of man against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting."**

_~Milan Kundera, The Book of Laughter and Forgetting_

**SCENE ONE: SHADOW**

It was one of those rainy June days, during one of those summers when Mother Nature doesn't seem to understand that it really should be sunny. The sky had turned gray hours before, and with nightfall came the first storm of the season. Rain fell in clattering sheets, blowing everywhere. The plants and trees soaked the rain up, content to be watered before the true heat set in. The only sounds were the pounding of the rain and the cars rushing through it. In Station Square, most individuals hurried home, eager to be with their loved ones. They rushed past a young girl who sat on the curb, head in her hands. She shivered, ignoring the world just as easily as it ignored her. The girl hadn't moved for hours, her hair and clothing plastered to her frail form. She was nothing but a pink and red smudge in a gray murky world, simply part of the background in a bustling city. When a red and black shape flashed by her, she didn't move, nor did she when the young man came back.

"Amy?" he shouted above the clamor, appalled to see his younger sister in such a state.

She stared past him, lost in her own world. Worried, he took her shoulders and shook her. He tried her name again, shouting inches from her face without reaction. Without hesitation, he wrapped her into his trench coat and took off through the rain. The close proximity of his home and his swiftness shortened the journey to minutes as he hurtled up stairs to his third-story apartment door. He fumbled with his keys for a moment, but then burst through the door. He was anxious to get his sister out of the raging elements and rushed into the house without removing his muddy shoes. The door slammed behind him, but he hardly heard it. The young man set his sister down on his couch with no regard to it's condition or that of the carpet. The girl didn't react, simply sat up. The young man rushed out of his living room and down a hall, returning moments later with a pile of towels, extra clothes, and a heavy blanket. He dumped them next to the couch and then turned his heater up. He snapped his fingers and a light came to life.

Finally, he turned back to the girl. He said her name again with no reaction. She stared off into the distance, un-hearing and unseeing. Her hair was disheveled, skin pale, lips blue. She shivered, hands coming up to cover her ears. Tears streamed down her cheeks, gentle sobbing being the only sound she could make. The young man sat back on his heels, sighing. Something had happened to her, something bad enough to make her a catatonic mess.

The only question: What had happened?

**SCENE TWO: AMY**

It felt like she was falling.

Falling, falling, falling. Down an endless hole.

Panic shot through her chest.

_Why?_

There was an explanation for this; somewhere a reason why she would not give into the pain.

But that reason was beginning to elude her.

_Why me?_

Why did she have to fight?

Why did she have to suffer?

What had he ever done to deserve this sacrifice from her?

_Why can't I just die?_

There was no answer, only harsh laughter.

**SCENE THREE: AMY**

The girl opened her eyes, feeling a curious warmth on her face. The sun was shining beyond curtains, slipping through the small gap in the cloth. She was sprawled in a bed, blankets heaped on top of her. It was uncomfortably warm; prompting her to slowly sit up. She winced at the many aching joints that cried out in protest to any movement, looking around the room. She blinked sleepily, rubbing one eye carefully. It was a small room, one that she was sure did not belong to her. There was a small black dresser to the far wall, and a tall bookcase filled with countless trinkets. There was a nightstand next to her bed, several pictures positioned around a small lamp. There were people she didn't quite recognize, a white haired woman and man with red-streaked black hair. In one picture, the man was with a younger girl, a smiling pink haired kid in a graduation gown. They looked similar, like siblings, but she couldn't figure out who they were. She guessed that she was in his home.

The girl slipped out of the bed, shivering in the absence of warmth. Her small limbs were encased in heavy black pajamas, but oddly enough, there was a cold that was set inside her very bones. She rubbed her arms for a moment, keeping them close to her chest for warmth. The door to the bedroom was wide open, leading into an empty hall. The floor was polished wood, squeaky clean. She padded on small delicate bare feet past closed doors and into a bigger room. The front part was slightly sunken, a couch and chair, a TV and coffee table. Beyond it was a kitchen, separated by a counter, several stools pushed beneath it. From the den part she heard snoring, emanating from a small blanket covered couch. It rose and fell gently with each snore, no other movement obvious to her eye. She creeped closer, unsure of how to react. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Her hands flew to her throat as she tried again to force any word possible from her mouth. Her throat hurt to begin with, but this surprised her. The girl felt horribly confused, taking a step closer to the couch with the intention of shaking the boy awake. She tripped over a pile of wet towels she hadn't noticed and fell forward, arms wildly out-stretched. She hit the couch and a man shot out of the blanket, a gun to her head before she could blink twice. The girl stared in surprise; this was the red-streaked black haired man from the pictures in the bedroom. But he didn't seem mean or brooding like in the pictures, only surprised. There was a moment of silence, his ruby red eyes searching her own. He unloaded his gun and set it on the table, then gently helped her sit. He moved from the couch, covering the girl in the blanket instead.

"Are you alright?" he asked her, moving to stand in front of her.

She felt panic bubble up in her chest once more and opened her mouth to tell him that she wasn't anything near alright, that she was beyond confused, that she had no idea who she was or where she was, or anything. But nothing came out. She tried again in vain, but ended up coughing. The man's eyes seemed to soften and he put a hand to her forehead. He looked so scary, but his touch was gentle.

"You must have lost your voice last night," he said, his voice low, "And it feels like you may have a fever."

He stood up and disappeared into the kitchen, muttering something out taking a girl named Amy to the hospital. The name didn't seem familiar. He returned a moment later, with a thermometer and a glass of water. He handed the later to her she took it shyly. Upon taking a sip, she realized how dry her throat was and downed the entire thing. The man smiled in amusement and then popped the thermometer beneath her tongue. She stared at him, confused, but allowed him to take it back out a moment later.

He checked it, one hand feeling her forehead, "You're a couple degrees higher than normal, but you don't seem to have a fever. You should take it easy today."

Just then, her stomach growled, announcing her hunger to the world. She felt her face heat up, but wondered why she felt embarrassed. After all, it only meant she was hungry...what was there to be ashamed of in that?

"Hungry?" the young man asked, raising a bemused eyebrow.

The girl nodded eagerly, leaping of the couch. For a moment her head spun violently, and she fell back against the young man. He lowered her to the couch and told her to wait there and that he'd bring her something. She listened faithfully, asking herself why she felt so comfortable with such a stranger. A curious smell wafted from the kitchen, something that set her stomach growling again. She carefully slid from the couch and stood, holding the back of it in case her head decided to start spinning again. The girl creeped into the kitchen, finding the boy taping his foot impatiently in front of the microwave. As soon as the thing beeped, he quickly produced two steaming bowls from the machine. He turned and caught sight of her, sighing in exasperation. She followed him to the counter, where he set the bowls down. The young man clambered upon one of the stools and she did likewise. There were noodles in the bowls, odd sticks lain out next to them. The young man picked them up and used them to expertly slurp the noodles. The girl watched him for a moment and then picked her own up. She tried to imitate his movements, the sticks feeling oddly comfortable in her hand. But she couldn't seem to get it quite right and was unable to eat.

"You do know how to use chop sticks, don't you, Amy?" he asked, confused.

She shook her head almost shamefully. The girl wished she remembered, but she couldn't.

"Do you remember what you were doing outside last night?" he asked her, panic swirling into his eyes.

She shook her head, confused. What was he getting at with these questions?

"Do you remember where you are now?"

She shook her head.

"Do you remember me?" he asked, finally.

She thought for a moment, staring at him, begging her mind to tell her why he was so familiar. But there was no answer and she finally shook her head. There was a plunk as the man dripped his chop sticks. He stared at her, panicked. Finally, he retrieved his cell from the counter and told her not to leave the room. He disappeared into the hallway, talking in a voice too low for her to hear. The girl focused her attentions on her food, tilting the bowl to slurp something up. Instead she spilled some on her lap and got no food in return. Why couldn't she figure out how to eat noodles, for God's sake? Finally, after what seemed far too long, the man returned. He looked nervous, panicked, devastated, everything like that and more. He was quiet for a moment and then spoke.

"So you don't remember me, right?" he asked, "You don't know anything about who I am?"

She nodded slowly. He cut to the chase this time, "Do you remember anything at all?"

She shook her head. Nothing. No memories of anybody. Blank as snow, whatever that was...

"My name is Shadow," he said after a long sigh, "We are related in a rather odd way. I'll give you the long list later, but I am more or less your older brother."

She nodded, this seemed slightly familiar.

"And you are Amy Rose, 19 years old and a current resident of Station Square." he said.

The name didn't sound right, but the city...

Station Square.

Yes, that was home for the girl.

All the other stuff?

She'd just have to take his word for it.

**SCENE FOUR: SHADOW**

"Relate to me the symptoms once more, will you, uh...Mr..."

"Shadow Hedgehog."

"Yes, Mr. Hedgehog." The doctor corrected himself.

He was a tall, thin man with round wire glasses and a clipboard in his lap.

Shadow couldn't decide whether he trusted this man, but the people from the emergency room had told him that this man would know what he was talking about.

Could you even trust a guy who barely looked you in the eye?

"When I found her last night, she was practically catatonic," Shadow said, "She fell asleep and when she woke up, she didn't remember me. She doesn't seem to remember anything.

Shadow sighed, running a hand through his hair. The doctor gave him a sympathetic look on the shoulder, but then glanced at the girl who stood near the window. She didn't seem very interested in their conversation, twirling the hem of her pink summer dress.

"You two are involved with Sonic Hedgehog, aren't you?" the doctor said, eyes on his clipboard.

Shadow nodded.

"Is it within the realm of possibility that she may have been attacked by a shared enemy?"

Shadow paused, "Yes, it is possible. But if someone wanted to make a point, Amy would be dead. Whomever tried to hurt her didn't do a very decent job."

The doctor looked back to the girl. She looked like she wanted to be outside, fingering a strap of her dress absentmindedly.

"Amy, would you please come here for a moment?" the doctor asked.

The girl turned, blinking.

"She appears to answer to her name, at the very least." the man said mildly.

The doctor stood, asking his patient to sit on the examining table.

"My name is Dr. Green. Is it alright if I can take a look at your bruises?" he asked, eyes flickering to her's for a brief moment.

She glanced at her brother, but nodded.

The doctor had her crane her neck back and he examined the bruises around her neck. They were vivid purple against her pale skin. The doctor then sifted through her hair and found a large bump. He examined the other bruises, but didn't say much.

Finally, he sat back and turned to Shadow.

"Is she in any abusive relationships that you know of?" The doctor asked mildly.

Shadow shook his head, "None that I know of."

The girl slid of the examination table and went to her brother. She asked him something in a different language. Shadow stiffened and looked at the doctor. The older man had a curious look on his face.

"Amy, do you understand Korean?" he asked her.

"Japanese." she corrected him, voice soft.

Her voice was rough, making the girl wince. She coughed, holding her throat.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, her voice still low, "My throat hurts. Shadow promised to buy me some tea, but we haven't had time yet."

"It's alright." the startled doctor said.

Shadow said something back to the girl. She replied, smiling. Her brother turned to the doctor.

"I asked her if she wanted lunch." he explained.

The doctor nodded. He scribbled something on his clipboard.

"It is certain that she was attacked, but I think Amy will recover physically," he said, "From the questions I've asked her, it seems as though she has an odd case of amnesia. It is neither retrograde amnesia or the other forms this condition comes in. It doesn't quite make sense, although she appears to be healthy and fairly sane. More research will have to be done. I must ask that you bring her to me at least once a week in order to record her progress. I'm afraid that is the most we can do with her condition."

The doctor went on to tell Shadow what he might expect from Amy and how to deal with it.

"Will she ever remember who she is?" Shadow asked, finally.

The young man looked tired. Beyond tired.

The doctor paused, shaking his head, "Her case is so unique, I cannot say for sure. To be honest, I have no idea. She may, but she may not. Only time will tell."

Shadow's head dropped in his hands.

The girl looked confused, "What's wrong?"

He looked up at her, "Nothing, mouse."

The girl giggled, "I'm not a mouse!"

**SCENE FIVE: AMY**

"This is the mall, Amy," Shadow said, leading the girl beneath an arched doorway and into a huge silvery cavern, "Do you remember it?"

Light filtered in through the skylight, throwing patches of sunshine everywhere. People hurried from store to store, bags in their arms, purses, children in strollers. Teenagers hung around, talking on their phones or zoned out to their iPods. The place was filled with more things than the girl could comprehend, so many new smells and sights and sounds. She was astonished that she couldn't remember such a place. She looked to her brother and shook her head. He seemed to find that amusing.

"This used to be your favorite place, Amy," he grinned, "I can't tell you how many times you've tried to drag me here."

He headed for the food court, Amy in tow. Shadow's comment was forgotten when she caught sight of row upon row of shiny silver tables. He practically had to pull her along; she was like a child in a toy store. The old Amy would be chatting up a storm, but this girl was quiet. Gone was the stubborn, annoying, loud, rambunctious younger sister. She'd been replaced by a shockingly quiet, wide eyed, helpless girl. With her voice gone, she was like a mouse, even with the large black jacket he'd given her to wear. She'd forgotten her own jacket and it was getting cold again. Somehow, the girl had found an odd black baseball cap, one of those failed attempts at a gift from one of his friends. It dipped over her eyes, far too big, although it was amusing to watch her continually push it again and again, getting more and more flustered each time. Shadow, of course, simply adjusted it's straps and set it on her head backwards, but the look she gave him startled him. She looked like he'd just handed the world to her, her eyes wide and shinning. Shadow managed to smile, patting her head, and inwardly realizing that she'd changed a whole lot more than he thought. Shadow led her to an empty table and sat her down.

"Hungry?" he asked her.

Amy nodded; relived that he hadn't forgotten her lack of breakfast. He'd been in too much of a hurry to get to the hospital to feed her properly. Shadow had promised food afterward, but they'd gone to the mall instead. For what, she didn't know, but she was still content to be with him.

"I'll get some pizza," Shadow told her, "Just stay here."

She watched his retreating figure nervously. Without him she felt exposed and in danger. The people around her didn't look friendly anymore, or even interesting.

Why couldn't he just come back faster?

Amy watched as his tall shape slipped into a line. Several women turned their heads to stare at him, one sighing longingly. The girl wondered why, but the thought didn't occupy her for very long. She stuck one hand in the pocket of Shadow's jacket and pulled out an odd key-chain. It was a smiling bunny rabbit, waving at her. It looked new and most certainly it was not Shadow's. One the back her name was engraved. Was he holding on to it for her, or was it a gift he hadn't given her yet? She slipped her pinky through the thin metal loop and twirled it around. Given that she was more uncoordinated than a raccoon in ice-skates, it was tricky and took her mind off of Shadow for the time being. Amy spun it as fast as she could, until it spun off her pinky and onto the floor a good several feet away. It clattered on the tiles several feet away, almost unnoticeable in the bustling food court. The girl sighed and then slid out of her chair. She shuffled toward where she had seen it fall, but several people passed in front of the spot and she lost the exact location. Still, she scoured the floor and tables and chairs. After several minutes of fruitless searching, she realized that she wasn't going to find it. She imagined telling Shadow that she'd lost his key-chain and tears began welling up in her eyes. She chocked back a sob, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Are you looking for this, miss?" a voice asked behind her.

She whirled around in surprise. There was a large giant of a man in front of her, but all other details quickly became less important when she realized that her key-chain was in his meaty hand. She nodded eagerly, a smile spreading across her face.

"This is yours?" he asked, dangling it in front of her.

She nodded again, holding her hand out. But he didn't give it back to her. Instead, he grinned.

"I'll give it to you, but I think I might need a little something in return," he said, leaning in closer, "How about a kiss, honey?"

He didn't smell right or anywhere near good for that matter. She backed away in panic, only to find herself against an empty table. Amy frantically searched for Shadow's shape, but there was nobody in this particular section. Where had he gone? The man leaned in closer, running a hand through her pink hair. There was no room to shy away; why wasn't anybody coming to help her?

"Why the black?" he asked her, "You'd be so much prettier-"

Amy could only stare as he leaned in closer, her breath caught in her chest.

_No, no, what to do, what to do-_

"Get your hands off her, creep."

The man whirled around, blocking her view.

"Excuse me?" he asked, "I think you two might be mistaken, this is-"

"Don't make him say it twice," a more familiar voice growled, "You'll be sorry."

"Are you trying to start a fight?" the large man said, "Cuz, I will take you both down."

"Your arrogance will be your downfall."

"We'll see about that, won't we-"

The man suddenly whip-lashed to the side, from a blow faster than he could see. Even then, all there was to see was a mysterious red shoe. The man doubled over and another kick sent him flying. Amy covered her head and shrieked as he fell, narrowly avoiding his bulk. Her key-chain fell out of his hand with a clink, rolling off into the distance. The girl looked up in surprise. Standing not four feet away was Shadow, holding a plastic green tray with their food. She ran to him to him and threw her arms around him, or rather what she could reach of him. Her brother seemed surprised for a moment, stiffening as he tried to balance the tray, but a moment later he managed to put his other arm around her.

"It's alright, mouse," he told her, "You're safe now."

She continued hugging him for another long moment until he cleared his throat. Blushing, she stepped back. It was at that moment that she the person standing next to him. He had be older than her, even though he was clearly younger than Shadow. Maybe somewhere around twenty? At any rate, he was nothing like Shadow. His hair was a spiky bright cobalt blue, eyes green with a lively twinkle in them. He shirt was wrinkled and he looked nervous as hell, but Amy instantly liked him. She couldn't find a reason, but she wanted to be his friend already.

"Hi, Amy." The man said with a half-hearted wave, "How're ya?"

She blushed, a smile spreading across her face. She opened her mouth, but was cut off by an explosive coughing fit. She cringed at the raw pain in her throat, knowing it would be a good while before she wanted to try talking again. She glanced at Shadow, who sighed.

"Amy lost her voice," He said, clear and to the point, as usual, "I need to talk to you. It's important."

"Uh, sure," the man said, looking more like a sheepish teen with every passing moment, "Not a problem."

Shadow handed Amy the tray and told her to go eat and that he'd join her in a few minutes. She nodded, giving the other man a wide smile before walking away. She edged past the huge guy that was still sprawled on the floor, groaning. Briefly, she wondered why nobody seemed to care about him, but that train of thought quickly derailed. She herself didn't quite care; the guy had deserved it. She made it back to the table, slipping Shadow's jacket off and promptly tearing into her pizza. Amy couldn't remember the last time she'd eaten and felt as though she could die at that moment and go to heaven.

Meanwhile, Shadow was talking to the other man. She wondered what his name was and whether she had known him before. The conversation seemed to turn darker, the man's face contorting in disbelief. Shadow remained unmoved, face like stone. She wished she could hear what they were saying or at least why Shadow looked so scary when he was talking to the other man. More than anything else, she wished she could understand what was happening in the crazy world she had woken up to.

"She what?" the young man shouted, yanking the girl from her thoughts.

Shadow nodded solemnly, and the other boy stared, mouth dropped. Amy blinked. In the next second, the blue haired man had gone from being a good number of tables away to being right next to her. Amy jumped; how could he move that fast?

He grabbed her shoulders and shook her, "Do you remember me?"

She stared, eyes wide.

In the next moment, Shadow was in the next chair. He didn't look very happy.

"Sonic, if you know what's good for your health, you will remove your hands from my sister's shoulders." he threatened.

Sonic glanced at him , paled, and obeyed. He took a deep breath and sat down.

"Amy," he tried again, "Do you remember me?"

The girl blinked, opening her mouth. She paused, seeming to think better of what she'd been about to say. Instead, she promptly shook her head and took a bite of her pizza. The man, Sonic, seemed familiar, but there were no memories coming to her. Instead this felt like _dejavu_, like she had seen him before, but just couldn't remember where. Sonic slumped in his chair, head banging down on the table. He groaned, holding his head. Amy shot her brother a concerned look, but all he did was smirk.

"Shadow!" a voice shouted, "You have got to be kidding me!"

A woman ran up to them, nearly out of breath. With her purse, she smacked Shadow over the head.

"The hat should be burnt! She's a girl, not a gangster!"

Amy stared.

The woman was beautiful, miles more than the girl herself. Her eyes burned with a sapphire colored fire, luxurious snow white locks spilling over one shoulder. She was pale, dressed in dark, wide-legged business pants and a short-sleeve button up shirt.

"She wanted the hat! What on earth was I supposed to say to that, Rouge?" Shadow shot back, a grin on his face.

Amy blinked. Rouge was beautiful. Way more so than anybody in the room, even herself. And the look in Shadow's eyes said that he thought the same thing too. Even when he looked annoyed.

The woman rolled her eyes, turning to the younger girl.

"How could you wear that?" she asked, a smile on her lips.

She seemed to be joking, but Amy felt confused. The girl glanced at Shadow, panicking. Realization dawned in his eyes.

"Right. Amy, this is Rouge. That would Sonic." he said, pointing.

Rouge hugged her tightly, kissing her cheek.

"We're good friends, Amy!" she said, "Don't forget it!"

Amy scooted closer to her brother, reaching for his hand. Rouge stared for a moment and then sat next to her.

"I know you don't remember me, hon," she said softly, "But let's be friends, okay? I'm won't to hurt you, but I can't say the same for your good for nothing brother-"

Amy had zoned out. The words echoed in her mind. She'd head them from somewhere else, not from Rouge, but recently.

If she was sure of anything, this was it.

**SCENE SIX: AMY**

_"Leave me alone!" I shouted, voice hoarse._

_My skin felt feverishly hot, my entire body soaked from head to toe. I was in a dark alley, in the pouring rain, clutching a beat up yellow and pink mallet. I clutched the weapon tightly, but it was so slippery that I could hardly hold it. . _

_A man stepped from the shadows, taller and stronger than me. Most of his face was hidden in the darkness, but I could see his sick grin as clear as daylight._

_"Don't worry, love. I won't hurt you," he grinned, "I just want to be friends."_

_He blocked my way from the alley, a blade glinting in one hand. I tried to back away, but there was nowhere to go._

_Somebody screamed._

_I was pretty sure it was me._

**SCENE SEVEN: AMY**

_Screaming._

It was the only sound.

No words, only screaming.

There were hands on her shoulders, shaking her roughly.

"Amy, wake up!" a voice was shouting.

She lashed out, her hands slapping at a solid shape in front of her. There was a brief sting of pain of her cheek. She gasped, opening her eyes and shooting up. She was in Shadow's living room, on his couch. Her face hurt, tears streaming down already wet cheeks. Shadow was on his knees, his hands on her shoulders. He looked worried; a thousand years older than she remembered.

"I'm sorry I slapped you," he said, "But you were screaming, are you alright?"

She stared at him, mouth open.

She lifted her hands, finding the band-aids on her palms. There were scrapes beneath them, from the night.

The night _it_ had happened.

But she couldn't remember what. Only rain on her skin and screaming.

Horrible, heart-wrenching screaming.

"I-" she began, "I don't know."

"Was it a memory?" he asked.

She nodded, "I think so."

She clung to him as tightly as she could, sobbing. Shadow put his arms around, hugging her until she could barely breath.

"It's okay, Amy," he tried to reassure her, "I won't let anybody hurt you."

She managed to catch her breath, but rested her head on his shoulder. He sat her up straight, wiping the tears away with his sleeve.

"Come on, Mouse," he told her, "You have to be strong."

She sniffed, nodding slowly. But she still clung to him.

There was a knock at the door.

And then another.

Shadow tried to stand, but Amy refused to let go. Despite agreeing to the whole 'being strong' thing, she was too scared to be alone.

"Amy," he managed to say evenly, "I have to get the door."

She gave him a pleading look, begging him to stay. Shadow gave an exasperated sigh and stood up. He slung her over his back and started walking. She giggled, throwing her arms around his neck. They made their way to the door.

Rouge and Sonic waited outside. He was tapping his feet impatiently, while Rouge twisted a strand of hair between her fingers. Shadow set Amy down gently. She took his hand tightly, rubbing an eye with one hand.

"Took long enough." Sonic muttered, eyes to the ground.

He handed Shadow several bags, without glancing at Amy. She stared at him, eyes wide with curiosity.

"Hey Shadow," Rouge said, patting his shoulder and giving Amy a quick peck on the cheek, "How're you feeling, hon?"

Amy shrugged, but didn't say anything. The older woman turned to Shadow and started saying something to him. The two walked down the hallway together. Amy began to follow them when Sonic cleared his throat. The girl turned, realizing the door was still open. Her smiled brightened as she reached out for his hand to invite him in. His face turned red and he moved away.

"I have to get going," He explained awkwardly, "Ya know, Eggman and everything...'"

Her features twisted into a confused expression. Sonic opened his mouth to ask her if she was crazy, but caught himself at the last moment.

"Ah, yeah, you don't remember, do you?" he said, "I'll explain it another time, k?"

She nodded, still confused.

"Well, uh, I'll see you later." Sonic said, holding a hand up in wave.

She nodded again, smiling this time.

"And, uh, well... this is yours. See ya later." he shoved something in her hands and then turned to run.

Amy blinked; one moment he was there and the next he was gone. There was a gust of wind and then the street was quiet. She opened her palm and gasped. Sonic had picked up her key-chain! It was shinier; had he cleaned it?

She smiled, watching the sun begin to fall. A breeze played with strands of her hair.

Sonic was like the wind. Sometimes he was there and then he was gone...But still always there, somehow. She didn't need memories to tell her something that she knew to be as true as the sun rising or the wind blowing. She just knew.

"Arigato, Sonic." she whispered, and then slipped into the house once more.

**SCENE EIGHT: SONIC**

I raced away from Shadow's house, face aflame. It wasn't the warm weather; that was obvious enough.

Only Amy had the power to do something like that to me, even when she was..._a shell of a person_.

Sure, the idea of Amy forgetting everything was appealing in the sense that now she couldn't murder me, like she'd promised last night, but...now she was gone.

And I'd never gotten the chance to apologize or even give Amy a chance to accept a promise to make everything up to her. Not that she would have believed me anyway...As much as I would have liked to run back to Amy and confess everything to her...I had to stop myself.

She was literally a shell of a person. No words. Nothing. No memories. No visible personality.

Well, that wasn't true. I hadn't even been with her for more than five minutes before she'd gone banshee on Shadow, screaming something nobody could understand, and then passing out stone-cold. I hadn't been around long enough to even figure out if there was anything left of Amy in there worth salvaging. She could very well have been the same, save quieter, but somehow that seemed unlikely. Anyway...I couldn't decide what to do anymore.

About Amy, I mean.

I couldn't tell her. No way. I couldn't do that to her again. She'd kill me if she understood, and even if she didn't our friendship would be ruined before she could even remember what my name was. And it wasn't like I could ask Tails for advice. He'd kill me, then make me tell her. And then Shadow would kill me. And then the guilt would kill me big time; and believe me, I was already getting a freaking ulcer.

And then a brilliant idea hit me: I didn't have to tell Amy.

I didn't have to tell anyone. And if Amy never remembered, well, nobody ever had to know.

And to satisfy my conscious, I'd make sure that I did everything right this time around. She'd always wanted me to give her a chance, so I figured that for her sake, I'd try. There was no way I'd ever _fall in love_ with Amy, god forbid, but at the very least we could be friends.

After all, I had made a promise to her.

Even if it didn't mean much anymore, even if she didn't remember, there was no way I'd break it now. I'd vowed to make it up to her—even if it killed me.

Some time later that afternoon, I'd finally remembered what I was supposed to be doing and made my way to the office building of SSN, otherwise known as Station Square News. It wasn't hard to find, considering that it happened to be one of the largest sky scrapers in the entire city. The place was practically crawling with people...and everybody had suits...

Great. Sure, I was The Sonic, but I didn't know how convincing I could be in yesterday's jeans and a t-shirt from the bottom of the laundry pile.

Oh well. Not like I really cared. I was the king of cool, right?

I guess they must have been expecting me because the receptionist didn't even ask for my name, simply pointed and told me that the receptionist on the tenth floor would help me find the exact room.

Was I that easy to spot?

Seriously...

Anyhow, I turned to the elevator, crawling with even more people in suits...and I'll admit that I've never been one for small places. There was no way I was getting in that over-sized sardine-can, especially with that many people. Not on my life.

I took the stairs.

About two minutes later, I stopped in front of the receptionist's desk. She stood and guided me through a large area filled with cubicles and rushing people.

Jeez, this entire place felt like one huge bee hive. Tails had a company like this somewhere, but that had been filled with nerds typing away at computers or assembling things in another building. I guessed that things were different in the news business...

The receptionist finally stopped outside a large glass door. Inside was a fairly good sized office. There was a table to one side, stacked with papers, the actual desk which looked fairly old and expensive, a couch, and blah blah blah...Most of the walls were just glass and I considered how easy it would be for some guy like Eggman to break in and kidnap someone. Or how easy it would be to fall out a window like that...

Anyhow, there were two people inside. An older man, whom I assumed had to be the guy I was looking for, a certain Marcus Langely. He was the guy in charge of Station Square News, and just about one of the richest guys in the world. There was also a woman...or more correctly, a young woman. She couldn't have been more than a couple years older than Amy, which put her at about my age. It was hard not to gape at her; she was, by far, one of the most...dangerous women I'd even seen.

Yeah, word choice is important here. I'd never been one for correct use of the English language, but this woman...she was the kind that made honest men cheat on their wives, made friends betray best friends, brothers compete against brothers, etc. She was the kind who was stunning and knew it. Rouge very well could have been a competitor, but not even she would come out on top. This girl was...well...gorgeous. Long legged, tanned, long haired, high cheek-boned, so obviously part foreign. And while she wore a business suit, I wasn't sure the skirt was supposed to be so short, or the heels that high. But before I could continue gaping like the idiot I was, the receptionist knocked on the door. The young woman jumped from her perch on the couch and motioned for me to come inside.

"Uh, thanks." I told the receptionist and then stepped inside.

The young woman rushed to me, saying in a rather velvety voice, "Hello, Mr. Hedgehog, I'm Isis Langely and it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Uh, hi." I managed to say, holding a hand up weakly.

She took my hands and kissed me on both cheeks, topaz eyes glittering. Dazed, I followed her deeper into the room, watching the older man stand.

He shook my hand, warmly, "I am Marcus Langely. You must be Mr. Hedgehog?"

"Ah, yeah. That's me," I managed to grin, scratching the back of my neck, "I heard you had a proposal for me?"

"Yes, yes, of course," he said, "But first, would you like something to drink? Coffee, perhaps, or whisky? Or-"

"Coffee, please...I don't drink alcohol."

Not after the mess of last night I didn't.

"Of course," he said, then turning to his daughter, "Isis, would you do your father a favor and get this young man something to drink?"

"Of course, papa." she smiled in a rather un-innocent sort of way and then slipped out the door.

I turned my attention back to Langely.

"Uh, thank you, Mr. Langely." I managed, remembering Tails' insistence that I remember at least some of my manners.

According to him, having a friend this well off could be useful in the future. Man, the kid was barely 16, but already managed to act at least ten years older. He'd been doing that since he was nine and it wasn't getting any less annoying.

"Call me, Marcus, son," he told me, "I insist upon it, really."

"Marcus," I nodded, "Uh, Thanks."

At this point I was grasping for straws. What on earth are you supposed to say next?

"Sit down, Mr. Hedgehog. I imagine you are curious to know why I asked you to come."

I managed to nod.

He did the same and then promptly got to the point of why I was there, "I have a proposal for you."

_Really?_ No kidding.

"What sort of proposal?" I asked.

"As you know, Station Square News often has a difficult time documenting your various exploits, Mr. Hedgehog. And I strongly believe that if the public were to be able to view exactly how hard you work, it would help them understand how imperative it is that we remain grateful for your efforts in protecting Station Square and aid you in all ways possible."

Or just maybe it would help you get more viewers? I wondered which was more likely. But this guy sounded like he'd been practicing this speech, so I kindly didn't point out the bull in his proposal.

"So, what would ya have in mind then?" I asked, "These things happen pretty fast. Tangling with Eggman is bad enough, but with a camera crew to protect? It sounds pretty dangerous."

Marcus leaned forward, hand positioned into an odd looking triangle.

"I understand that, which is why I've been considering this for a very long time," he said, "Would it be possible to involve your associates? A certain Mr. Prower and Mr. Echidna? Our crew can tell specifically what sort of footage they need, but the most you would have to do is get them into and out of 's base during an attack and the very least would be giving them an opportunity to film a street battle. There are other details we can cover later, but there will be a large compensation for your efforts."

"What sort of compensation?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

Being a Hero, I wasn't in any need of money, especially with Tails being the C.E.O of his own company while he was still in high school. But a part of me wondered exactly how much this man was willing to pay us to risk the lives of what would probably be his best camera man and reporter. Marcus Langely took a checkbook from his desk and wrote a number with a lot of zeros.

"That, of course, would be the individual fee for each of you." he told me.

I stared, mouth dropped, "We'll do it."

**SCENE NINE: SONIC**

"You agreed without asking me?" Knuckles shouted.

Tails sat at the kitchen table, head in his hands.

"Hell yeah, course I did!" I shot back, "Would you have refused it? This is most ridiculous deal we're ever going to get and you want to turn it down?"

Knuckles paused, "I wasn't going to turn it down, but I'm pissed that you-"

"I get it, I get it," I put my hands up in surrender, "Knuckles, do you want to be a part of the easiest gig ever imagined and make an insane amount of money off of it?"

He glared at me, "You're an **POPCORN!,** Sonic, you know that?"

I grinned, "Look who's talking, mule-head."

"Alright, you two," Tails growled, giving his best _I'm-not-your-mom,-but-I-will-kick-your-butt-anyway_ glare, "That's enough. I'm sick of you two bickering like little children."

"Yes, mom." Knuckles and I grinned in unison.

The 16 year old scowled, "Have fun making dinner tonight, Sonic."

That was low. Way low, Tails. He never stopped holding my inability to cook over my head. It wasn't my fault that every single thing I'd ever tried to make ended up looking like charcoal!

"Sure," I grinned, turning to knuckles, "Wanna get something to eat? How about Archie's?"

Knuckles scoffed, "Let's go to Darnella. In a week we'll have enough to go there everyday."

I gave him a thumbs up. Tails glared at both of us; if looks could kill...

"Later Tails." I called.

He shouted after me, throwing a pair of shoes. I dogged it, narrowly missing it.

"Oh, so you want us to bring something back? No prob Tails!" I shouted, taking off and laughing hysterically into the night.

SCENE TEN: AMY

**[A/N: Poem = Jabberwocky. My favoritest-est-est poem ever!] **

_"All mimsy were the borogroves, and the momraths outgrabe..."_

The girl hummed, dusting a shelf. She sang an odd poem that she'd found at the tip of her tongue. "Mmmm...Beware the jabberwock, my...son? The jaws that bite-"

The door slammed. Someone was home. Amy listened for footsteps that sounded familiar, her poem forgotten.

"Still alive, Amy?" Shadow called.

She sighed in relief.

No boogieman. Those were just dreams.

Only dreams.

She straightened, running from the room. She crashed into her brother, nearly falling. He caught her, setting her gently down again and handing her the feather-duster.

"Why are you in my r-"

"Shadow! I remembered something!" She interrupted him, hopping excitedly.

His eyes lit up, "What did you remember?"

She recited the poem for him, still hopping.

"Ah, that's nice Amy," he said, not quiet as thrilled, "Anything else?"

"Ummm," she tapped her chin, thinking hard, "Your favorite color is...white?"

He smiled, "No, mouse. That's Rouge's favorite color."

She frowned. "What's your favorite color?"

"I'll never tell," he patted her head and walked away, "Come help me with lunch."

She followed him into the living room, still holding the feather-duster. Rouge was lounging on the couch, shoes and jacket on the floor.

"Hi, Rouge." Amy waved, smiling.

"Afternoon," Rouge half-waved from the couch.

"I remembered your favorite color!" Amy exclaimed, "But I thought it was Shadow's at first..."

Rouge laughed, standing, "That's lovely, Amy."

She hugged the smaller girl, and then kissed Shadow's cheek. Amazingly enough, he blushed.

"What's for lunch?" she asked, "I'm starving."

He disappeared into the kitchen and there was a rustling of bags. "I'm going to make-"

There was a sudden crash as something exploded into the room. The far wall was ripped away and a robot slowly rose into view. It was a behemoth of a robot, a beast of metal greater than Amy had ever seen.

Shadow swore, Rouge gasped.

Amy stared, time slowing down.

The robot seemed to bigger than Shadow's entire apartment complex. There was a strange grinning circle between it's eyes, the paint still drying. In the entire week she'd been awake, nobody had ever mentioned gigantic robots that could tear apart homes. The feather duster slipped from her hands and clattered on the ground.

Time suddenly sped up again.

Somebody shouted and they Rouge and Shadow both attacked the thing like they'd been doing it all their life.

Oddly enough, she found herself wanting to help. It was as though she had done this before, too.

Had she?

She took a step forward, suddenly finding a huge red and yellow mallet in her hands. It was heavy, but she was caught up in the moment and lifted it like it weighed nothing more than a feather duster. Amy found herself grinning in anticipation as she-

"Amy, get out of here!" Shadow shouted suddenly.

The mallet in her hands dropped, suddenly heavier than she could bear. She stared, unable to comprehend Shadow's words, or why the familiar, reassuring weapon had failed her. But there was no time to think. The robot's huge arm suddenly came into view and it batted her brother away like he was nothing more than a rag-doll. There was a sickening crash and Amy suddenly realized that she couldn't find Rouge anywhere. And then the monster robot was reaching out for her, it's huge metallic fingers opening. A fog of terror descended over her and she froze up. The monster was capable of tearing Shadow's house down, hurting the people she loved. It could crush her between it's clumsy finger.

She knew it would.

But Rouge was suddenly there, launching a devastating spin kick. And then Shadow was pushing her out the door and she was shrieking Rouge's name. They couldn't just leave her!

"She'll be fine," he shouted in her ear, "Just get as far away from here as you can, understand! _DO_ _YOU UNDERSTAND?"_

She couldn't say anything, tears welling up in her eyes. But then she was running down the stairs, and then across the square. She half turned, unable to see the battle. But she could hear it. There was an explosion. And shouting and chaos.

The robot suddenly rose over the edge of the houses.

Amy's heart clenched it terror. It was following her. _The monster was following her._

Why did it want her?

Where were Rouge and Shadow?

She turned and continued running. There was Sonic, conveniently ahead of her. He was setting a girl down, a gorgeous pretty girl_...who had been in his arms...?_

Which didn't make sense...

Behind them was another girl, holding a large bulky camera. A car screeched to a stop in front of them, two men climbing out. One was a bit older than Sonic, the other several years younger than herself. The two were as different as oil and water, bickering loudly about something she couldn't understand. But she heard her name and realized that she recognized them. They were both taller than her (which wasn't very hard), the elder darkly tanned. His eyes were an intense shade of violet, his expression grave. Strangest, though, was how red his dread-locks were and how pointed his gloved knuckles were. He was sturdier than the younger one, who was barely more than a boy. His hair was a golden blonde, his eyes a lovely shade of baby blue. He looked like he had just come from school, a very normal looking back-pack slung over one shoulder. Somehow, she knew these two weren't normal. But she couldn't remember how she knew.

Why couldn't she remember?

No time to think of that, she told herself sternly.

She could barely keep from collapsing in a heap of tears as it was. She had to get help.

Sonic would know what to do.

She shouted his name, crossing the street toward them, "You've got to help Rouge and Shadow!"

Sonic turned, surprised, "Amy, wh-"

She crashed into him, throwing her arms around him, "You have to help them! That thing is going to kill them!"

Her voice was high-pitched, eyes wide in panic. For a moment Sonic was convinced that she was going to collapse. He threw his arms around her, steadying her.

"It's okay, Amy," he told her, "Help is here."

She stared at him, "But how can you help?"

And why was she so convinced that he could help her? Who in their right mind would fight something like that? Who could?

Sonic finally caught sight of the robot, and instead of silence, he laughed.

"Hey, guys," he said, "Looks like this one's a little on the big side. You know what I always say, Tails?"

"The bigger they are, the harder they fall." The blond boy grinned.

The two girls behind them were busy. One was filming, the prettier one talking quickly.

"Sonic, why aren't you scared?" Amy asked, slipping from his embrace, "Why is it after me?"

He gripped her shoulders, staring at her levelly, "Hey, don't freak out on me."

She stared at him, "But why is it after me?"

He shrugged, "Eggman is always after you. He's after everybody I know...but no worries, Ames! We'll stop that hunk a junk!"

With that, he turned to his companions, "Ready to roll, Tails?"

"Obviously." the boy muttered, pressing a button on his watch and turning to the red haired guy, "Ready Knuckles."

Knuckles aimed and threw a small dark colored device. It hit the robot and exploded, sending the monster reeling backward.

"Alright, let's roll guys!" Sonic shouted, and the three of them took off.

All of them moved incredibly quickly, but they were like tiny ants against a bear. And there was nothing she could do, but watch the monster creep closer. Sonic was so quick, and the red-haired one was so strong. Rouge was relentless, Shadow was even quicker than Sonic, and the blond one was clever. But Amy didn't think anybody could stop it.

She was doomed.

But then there was an explosion. And another one. Hysterical laughter and shouts to get serious. But the robot fell. And it didn't get up. She could have wept in relief. She watched Shadow emerge from the smoke, holding Rouge's hand. The woman was swearing about something, angry that she'd twisted her ankle. But the two of them were alive, and Amy was happy enough. More than happy, even.

"Shadow!" she shouted, crossing the street and throwing herself into his arm.

"It's alright, mouse." he told her, holding her tightly.

She found a million questions at the tip of her tongue, but he put a finger to her lips.

"It's alright, Amy," he told her, "Calm down. We'll talk about this later."

But she couldn't stop crying. The idea that something like that had come for her was almost to much to bear. Her pulse raced, her breathing quickening. In the back of her mind, she somehow knew she was having a panic attack and found that odd. Amy knew she'd never been one for panic attacks, but here she was, hyper-ventilating. Like a pathetic little girl who'd never seen an egg-bot or a badnick before. Whatever _those_ were...anyway…

Shadow seemed to panic when she wouldn't stop sobbing in his arms. Even Rouge was alarmed.

Sonic came up from behind them, "Is she alright?"

Shadow shook his head, glaring at him. Sonic put his hands up in the universal sign for surrender.

Rouge put a hand on his arm, "Maybe we should just take the poor girl home..."

Sonic ran a hand through his hair, "Uh, Shadow. I hate to break it to you, but your house...is pretty much gone. You'll be lucky to salvage anything from that mess."

Shadow groaned, "Just my luck."

He shot a glare so dark at Sonic that the young man backed away.

"Don't shoot the messenger, Shadow." he said, putting his hands back up in defense.

With that he turned and ran back toward his friends, who were busy gutting the robot, Knuckles for the hell of it, and Tails for raw supplies.

"Don't worry," Rouge said, laying one hand across the sobbing girl's back, "You can stay with me. We're already-"

Shadow shot her a look, glancing down at his sister in panic.

Rouge blushed, "Right. Well, just come stay at my place for a bit. It's the least I can do."

Shadow lifted his sister into his arms, trying to soothe her the best he could. Needless to say, it was rather odd to see him rubbing his sister's back and talking softly to her.

Sonic found it downright freaky. Who would have known Shadow even had a heart?

_Creepy stuff..._


	2. Act 2: Part 1

**Hey everybody!**

**Sorry for the delay. Life, as usual.**

**But I've got the next part also ready. It's sorta a make-up for taking forever, and for the fact that I'll be gone for a bit.**

**I'm busy spring break, and who knows how next term will go?**

**Anyway, enjoy, and send me reviews!**

**Your comments and suggestions keep this story going! Don't forget it!**

**~Btw, for the scene breaks, I'm just going to label the scene with a number. It's so much easier and it goes with the whole "acts and parts" theme. **

**Tai~**

* * *

ACT TWO: SONIC AND FRIENDS / JUST NIGHTMARES

PART ONE~

**"Unfortunately, the balance of nature decrees that a super-abundance of dreams is paid for by a growing potential for nightmares."**

**~Peter Ustinov, _Speaking of the U.S.A..._**

**"First time strangers; second time friends."**

**~Chinese Proverb**

**SCENE ONE:**

_It was so cold. So, so cold. _

_I knew faintly that I was shivering. _

_Crying. _

_Begging...for what, I had no idea..._

_Maybe for help that would not come. Nobody would know I was gone._

_It was raining so hard, the clattering was so loud._

_At least I didn't have to hear __it__. _

_At least it was so cold that I could barely feel it. At least he was going to kill me. I would never have to live with it. I would never have to live with any of it. Which didn't matter anyway. I wasn't going to live much longer. I'd reached the end of the line. _

_Tonight was the end._

**SCENE TWO: AMY**

Amy shot up, hands covering her mouth, muffling her scream. She shut her eyes, unable to keep the tears from slipping down her cheeks. She reached down, running her hands over herself.

She was soaked with sweat, not with rain water.

She was shivering from fear, not from the cold.

Amy was in bed, safe and sound with Shadow in the next room. But it made nothing better.

Why could she still feel _his_ hands on her?

Why, of all the things to remember, could she remember _this_?

She choked back a sob, slumping back down to her bed. She curled into a ball, wrapping her arms around her knees and squeezing as tightly as she could.

'Just think of better things' she ordered herself, 'Think of roses, of birds, Sonic, anything!'

She sat up again.

_Sonic?_

Where had that thought come from?

She shoved all thoughts away and threw herself back down, clutching the comforter tightly around herself. She had to sleep, or else Shadow would wonder why she looked so tired. And she would never tell him why. She would never tell him what she remembered. He didn't need another worry to weigh him down. Between his job and worrying about getting a new home and worrying about her and a million other things, Shadow was practically giving himself gray hair.

Besides, she was never going to tell anybody about it. Not even Shadow.

Ever.

**SCENE THREE: AMY**

Shadow watched his adversary, tensing ever-so-slightly. He twirled his staff like a baton, circling his opponent, daring her to make the first move. She was half-crouched, eyes glittering dangerously in the golden morning light. Her gloved hands were empty, her staff discarded in the corner. They circled each other, like night and day. Like wolves surrounding their prey, each the predator in their own eyes.

Shadow moved with powerful grace, honed over his many years of training. His opponent suddenly leaped forward, snapping out a lightning kick. Shadow threw himself back, dodging. He whirled into a roundhouse kick, catching his opponent's side. She hit the ground, but rolled away quickly. She leaped up, hands rising above her head as if reaching for something only she could see. She closed her eyes for a split second in concentration, her lips whispering words that Shadow couldn't quite understand. There was a '_poof'_ and a huge mallet, nearly as large as the girl herself, appeared. She raised the hammer...and then toppled backward.

Shadow sighed, tossing his staff away. He moved to his opponent's side, kicking the mallet away. She tried to get up, but he leaned and grabbed her hands, pinning them across her chest. She squirmed, uncomfortable, but unable to escape.

"Give up?" Shadow grinned.

Amy frowned at him, trying to pull away. Shadow didn't budge. This went on for several minutes, until she finally sighed, her glare intensifying.

"Fine. I give up." she stuck her tongue out at him.

Her brother helped her up, picking up her hammer with one hand. The thing was heavy; how on earth had the girl ever carried that thing?

"You can't expect to win a fight if you can barely carry your weapon, Amy," he told her, "What are you going to do about that?"

She sighed, staring at her bare feet. Her shoulders slumped, cheeks pink from embarrassment.

"Train, train, and then train some more." she recited from the many lessons he'd been giving her.

"Good." Shadow patted her head, messing her hair up, "You did well today."

His sister looked up, "Really?"

"Would I joke?" he asked her gravely.

She shook her head.

"You still need more training. But you've improved." he told her.

No, she hadn't done well. She'd done better than well, fantastic, even. It had been a week since they'd come to live with Rouge, and three weeks since her accident. Amy had more potential than Shadow wanted to admit; most of him was still embarrassed that he hadn't seen it before. She'd given Shadow a run for his money; a sign that one day he'd have to worry about much more than just Sonic kicking his butt.

Unfortunately, fighting was the only area she had been making improvement in. Aside from that, nothing else had changed. Things weren't coming back to Amy. Sure, maybe a favorite color or a phone number, but nothing else. And it scared Shadow more than he would have liked to admit. Amy smiled suddenly, yanking Shadow from his dark thoughts. She hugged him tightly and then ran off to take her shower. He watched her go, finding a smile on his face. She didn't remember, but she was still his Amy beneath everything.

Shadow slipped his sweaty t-shirt off and tossed it near the door. He retrieved the staffs from the tatami floor of the training room and locked them in the weapon's case. They were just sticks, but people would steal _anything_ these days. Shadow stared out a window, not quite seeing Rouge's pool. His mind had turned back to Amy. He knew about the nightmares; little could escape him when she was so near. Why Amy bottled it up, Shadow could only guess. But he knew how she probably felt with a huge void in her life and having the supreme luck of only being able to remember the horrible parts of her past. He'd been there. It was not the most pleasant place to be. Period.

That was, of course, assuming her nightmares were real. She never spoke about them, never admitted to them. For all Shadow knew, she could just be having nightmares about the dark. Or zombies. Or about a million other things. But Amy was going down a rough road, regardless. Shadow could hardly bear to watch his little sister go through it. Yet he had to stick by her. It was his duty to protect her and he'd already failed once. Shadow would rather die than fail her again.

"Shadow?"

Rouge stood in the doorway, a concerned look in her sapphire eyes. She was dressed in the simplest of attire, a t-shirt and shorts, but to Shadow she was the most beautiful woman in the world. Nothing could compare to her.

"Are you alright?" Rouge asked.

Of course she would have noticed how stressed he was. She missed even less than he did; but his pride would never let him admit it.

"I'm fine."

He went to the end of the room, closing the windows and drawing the blinds over them. Shadow turned and realized that Rouge stood behind him. She wrapped her arms around him, resting her head against his own.

"Shadow, something is wrong," she whispered, "I'm not stupid."

He turned, slipping from her grasp. He took her hands in his own, staring at her. She leaned forward, pecking his lips. Shadow pulled her closer and tried to kiss her. She pulled away, glaring at him.

"I know what you're trying to do," she said, "Don't you dare think that kissing me will make me forget."

That theory went down the drain.

He sighed, "Rouge, I'm fine. I swear."

"Liar."

He'd have to try something else.

Shadow rolled his eyes, "What gives you the impression that something is wrong?"

Rouge paused, "You're tired. You've been smiling all morning; you're trying to fool me into believing everything is just fine and dandy. And when I try to bring it up, you change the subject. I'm not stupid, Shadow."

He smirked, "Why would I change the subject, dear?"

Rouge shrugged, "Do I need to bash your head in, love?"

Shadow rolled his eyes again, voice monotone, "I'm terrified, Rouge."

She punched his shoulder, "Do you want to live to see your wedding?"

He took a moment to contemplate, "What if I said no? In theory, of course."

Rouge's eyes narrowed, "Then, of course, in theory I'd kill you. Tell me what's wrong before I really do, Shadow."

There was a serious threat in her voice. Leave it to Rouge to get violence involved; the woman had the sensitivity of a sledge-hammer sometimes. Which was surprising for somebody like her; she was usually more tact. Maybe she really was concerned. But Shadow was nowhere near ready to think about his own issues, let alone talk about them.

"Rouge," he sighed, running a hand through her hair, "I need time to think. Talking isn't the best thing right now."

She opened her mouth to protest, but instead, he kissed her. Rouge sighed, but kissed him back anyway. She must have finally understood that nothing short of impending global doom would make him confess before he was ready. They remained there for some time, in each others arms. Neither of them said much, just holding each other tightly or kissing. Until there was a shriek.

Shadow whirled, shoving Rouge behind him. She would kill him for later for it, suggesting that he 'didn't think she could defend herself,' but he didn't care. Instead of an enemy, they found Amy in the doorway. Her hair was wet, but more importantly her eyes were red. She looked like she'd been running, her chest heaving. A different expression came over her face when she saw the two of them. She looked horrified now, her face turning red.

"Amy-" Shadow began, but the girl turned and ran away.

He sighed, leaning his head against the window. Rouge slid to the ground, staring up at the roof.

"When were you going to tell her?" she asked, avoiding his eyes.

Shadow said nothing, dropping down next to her.

"You are serious about this, Shadow?" she asked him, "Because-"

"I'm serious." Shadow cut her off, voice grave.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, "I just don't know how to tell her. I can't afford to hurt her or bring back bad memories. She dealt with it before, but in her present state of mind..."

Rouge put a hand on his arm, "Dear, it's going to be alright. She's like a child. She won't remember."

"What if she does?"

"You don't give Amy enough credit. She's a tough girl, Shadow."

There was a moment of silence.

"What about the mission? Do you think she'll be fine?" he asked.

"It'll be a test. Tails will take care of her, you know that." Rouge reminded him.

"But Sonic..." he tried to protest, weakly.

Rouge's eyes softened.

"Shadow, I know this isn't easy for you, but we have to do our best and pray that everything else will work out. Without hope, we have nothing," she told him, "She will remember eventually. Until then, we have to be strong."

Shadow's eyes met her own, "What if you're wrong?"

"We'll never stop fighting, Shadow. Even if it takes two months or two years, we'll never stop hoping."

Shadow closed his eyes. Rouge leaned forward, kissing his cheek.

"I love you." she whispered.

A hint of a smile played on his lips, "I love you more."

**SCENE FOUR: AMY**

There was a knock at the door. She should have known that one of them would have come after her. Seriously.

"Amy, I need to talk to you." Rouge said from behind the door.

The girl in question sat on her bed, knees pulled up against her chest. Quietly, she unfolded herself and slid off the edge of her bed. She slipped her head band through her hair and padded, barefoot, to the door. She wondered what Rouge would say. Would she be angry that Amy had seen her and Shadow...?

Why was it that it bothered her so much, anyway? It wasn't that Rouge and Shadow felt that way, but...that they were happy...actually happy. She felt a strange loneliness deep inside, one that she couldn't quite understand. Amy banished the sad feelings away and cracked her door open.

"Yes?" she whispered softly.

"Can I talk to you, Amy? Rouge asked, calmly.

Amy opened the door. Rouge followed her into the room, sitting on the edge of her bed. Amy resumed her position, pulling her legs against her chest and holding herself tightly. It was an awkward position, but it made her feel safe in an odd way. She watched the older woman cautiously, knowing very well what Rouge was capable of. She'd seen her spar with Shadow and knew that this was not a person she wanted to be on the bad side of. Rouge watched her for a moment, struggling to find the right words.

"Amy, I need to tell you something very important." she said, in the most reassuring voice possible.

She could tell that the younger girl believed it was important, her eyes widening.

"You know how I feel about your brother...right?" she asked.

Amy nodded slowly, face turning a light shade of pink. Inwardly, Rouge smiled; the girl thought she was going to get in trouble. How sweet, she mused. There weren't many people on the planet that Rouge respected, or even trusted, but Amy Rose was somehow on that very very short list. The girl was always annoying to start with, but Amy, beneath all the layers of fluff and drama and anger was still innocent and infuriatingly optimistic. The girl had (and probably still did) believed that everything could have a happy ending, that nobody should ever be left behind, that everyone had a good side, even villains and murderers. Rouge thought that it was all bull, but who couldn't admire a girl who befriended blood-thirsty beasts and robots, who never gave up on anything, who still managed to love a certain jerk who had hurt her time after time? And she was still sane. Somehow.

Even after this girl's horrible accident; it was still there. She was still an optimist at heart, still naive enough to believe in a happy ending. Who couldn't admire that, but still hate it at the same time?

"I'm not angry, Amy," Rouge told her honestly, "I just need to explain something to you."

"Explain kissing?" Amy asked, "I already know about it..."

Rouge smiled, shaking her head, "No, hon, I wanted to explain that when two people feel that way about each other, they-"

Amy gasped, eye widening, "They get married."

Her hands flew to her mouth, her body stiffening. The girl's eyes rolled up into the back of her head and she fell back, stone cold unconscious.

**SCENE FIVE: **

_It was such a nice day. Everything would have been perfect if he would have just shown up already._

_Why does Sonic always do this to me?_

_He told me that if I wanted to have lunch with him, I'd have to hike out to this stupid stream. I walked._

_I'm was there, waiting at the most remote place in the mystic ruins, yet he hadn't shown up yet. I'd cooked his lunch, spent the last of my pocket money on the train fair, hurt my feet hiking...and he was late. I found myself sighing. This place was so beautiful, but...everything was so lonely without Sonic. _

_Why did he always do this to me?_

_I sat near the stream, dipping my toes in the icy cold water. If only I'd brought a swimsuit. It would have been such a lovely day to go for a swim. Thinking about it, I realized that if Sonic wasn't coming, I might as well enjoy myself before I trudged back home. I set the boxed lunch aside; the one I'd spent most of my morning cooking, and shrugged my shoes off. Off went my sweater and then my capris. Thank god I'd decided to wear a dress top today. _

_I couldn't help screaming when I leaped in the water. It was so cold!_

_"Amy!" a voice shouted, and suddenly something hit me. _

_I went tumbling into the water, getting wet every place I had specifically intended not to. I shrieked, water instantly filling my mouth. Something wrenched me above the water and I choked violently._

_"Amy?" a frantic voice said, "Are you alright?"_

_"Sonic?" I asked, confused, "What the hell?"_

_It didn't seem like he'd heard me; he was too busy checking me for wounds. I pushed him away._

_"Sonic, I'm fine." I told him, trying to catch my breath._

_Accidentally, I tripped over my feet and fell back into the water. Sonic caught me and pulled me against him. He looked embarrassed now. But that didn't make him loosen his grip on me any less. I hoped that I wasn't blushing terribly, because I could feel my face heating up._

_"I thought you were in trouble or something." he tried to explain sheepishly._

_I laughed, "It's alright, Sonic."_

_He laughed nervously, carrying me back to the stream bank._

_"Sorry for being late...I-uh, something came up..." He said, setting me down._

_I shrugged; this wasn't exactly something new._

_"Something always comes up, Sonic," I told him, "But there's no point in crying over something you'll never fix about yourself."_

_He frowned, opening his mouth._

_I stopped him, shoving the boxed lunch in his hands._

_"Eat," I told him, "And don't look while I put my clothes back on."_

_He blushed, "You don't have to, Amy..."_

_I shot him a look, "Sonic, there is no way I'm sitting in front of you with-"_

_He leaped up and threw me over his shoulder. He took off, running faster than should ever be possible. There was a sonic boom behind us and a fierce wind. Two seconds later he set me down of the stream bank. Most of me was dry, and very very wind-tossed. Sonic grinned and gave me a thumbs up. I glared at him._

_"That was-"_

_"Just say thank you." he told me._

_I sighed, "Thank you, Sonic. Has anybody told you that you are a jerk?"_

_He laughed, a good hearty sound, "Amy, __everybody__ tells me that."_

_"Well, it's true." I stuck my tongue out at him. _

_"You love it." he grinned._

_"You know I do." I sighed, my tone dropping._

_Sonic's grin fell, leaving a stricken look behind it. There was a moment of silence._

_"Amy," he said, sighing, "About this whole dating scheme-thing you have, I-"_

_I didn't have time to begin comprehending what he was saying before something yanked me back. I hit something hard, a metallic hand winding around my waist. I looked up, finding a twisted version of Sonic's face. It could only be one person; Metal Sonic. The monster had always terrified me, how could something so horrible carry Sonic's name, let alone be a clone of him? This __thing__ could never be Sonic, not with a horrible robotic eye and such a horrible grin. I felt hands tightening around me and then somebody screamed. It was probably me._

_The cyborg laughed and then we were suddenly flying. I could hear Sonic shouting beneath me, his hands just grazing one of my feet. I barely noticed, enraptured in the terrifying red eyes, like angry laser beams staring into my own._

**SCENE SIX: AMY**

She cried out, shooting up with enough force to propel her off the edge of her bed. Amy hit the ground, the breath whooshing out of her. She didn't move, tears pouring down her checks. She closed her eyes, shivering when she saw red eyes glaring back behind her eye-lids. These eyes were nothing like Shadow's. Shadow's ruby orbs were deep, sarcastic, brooding, happy..._alive_.

These eyes were flat. Just dead.

And it terrified her.

She knew this was a memory; knew it from the bottom of her heat, but she couldn't understand it.

What was that horrible thing? Why did it take her?

Why did it feel like she had never been safe to begin with?

She leaped to her feet, clenching her fists tightly. Amy felt an old familiar anger well up inside, her piko-piko hammer _poofing_ into her hands. In the back of her mind, she knew it was supposed to be too heavy, but at that moment it was light as air. She need something to destroy, someone to yell at. She wanted answers and if it killed her, she would find out why everything in the universe was conspiring against her.

"Shadow! Rouge!" she shouted their names, searching through Rouge's rather large mansion.

But the house was oddly quiet. There was lunch half-made in the kitchen, a cup of tea steaming on the table. The door was wide open, the shoes at the rack gone. It seemed like the two had picked up and left quickly. Like something bad had happened. Amy sagged in worry. The mallet suddenly weighed down in her hands, heavy again. She frowned, tossing the useless weapon away. Her anger had seeped away; now she felt worried. She went to close the door, but stopped. Beyond it was a clash of metal and a shout. Amy stepped outside and felt her heart abruptly speed up.

Rouge was there, and Shadow. Maybe even Sonic.

There were fighting a robot, taller and larger than the one who had attacked her a week before. She stared, unable to comprehend what she was seeing. The old panic clenched her heart again, tears welling up in her eyes. The robot abruptly turned her direction. She could have sworn it had seen her because it instantly began moving closer. Shadow was a blur of red and black, but none of the fighters could push the robot pack. It slowly inched up Rouge's winding driveway. There was a crash, a blue blur slamming into the robot. That could only be Sonic.

Her heart leaped into her throat and before she knew it, she was down the stairs and onto the driveway. She wanted to help Sonic. She knew she had to. Amy ran, feeling the anger rise inside her again. She left behind her worries, her nightmares, her concerns that she had no real plan, and just ran.

Who cared if she could hardly carry her hammer?

She was pissed off and that stupid robot was going to pay.

_Nobody messes with Amy Rose!_

She whizzed past Rouge, who was struggling to her feet. She looked a little worse for wear, but was well enough to scream at the younger girl. Shadow shouted her name, his eyes widening until Amy worried that he might pop a blood-vessel. Sonic looked surprised, hurtling toward her. But the robot was attacking him and he dodged away to avoid the fist that slammed into the ground. Amy ignored everything and leaped into the air. She hit the robot's arm, hands and feet scrabbling for purchase. She was barefoot, climbing up the arm like a gecko walked up a wall. The robot raised it's arm, bringing her higher than Rouge's own roof. The thing tried to hit her, but it only succeeded in damaging itself. The robot raised her far above it's head and she leaped. Hand's out, her piko-piko hammer _poofed_ into her hands. Her weight combined with the hammer's brought the both of them hurtling down toward the bot. What she was doing was dangerous, stupid, and Shadow would probably be a bit miffed, but for that brief moment everything felt right to Amy. Everything seemed to slow down until the noise was nothing but a faint roaring in her ears. She could feel the grin spreading across her face, the adrenaline pumping through her. She could feel the wind in her hair, the power in her hands. And then everything suddenly sped up again and she was flying downward, terrified. The hammer suddenly crashed into the robot's head, crushing it like a paper cup beneath a heavy foot. Amy landed roughly on an uneven part of the robot's shoulder, but the hammer yanked her back out into space. One moment she was standing, and the next she was falling. The robot was falling as well; it was going to crush her. Amy found herself smiling wryly.

What a suitable revenge.

She twisted her hands, the hammer _poofing_ away. No sense in keeping it around if she was going to die. She could hear shouting and briefly wondered whether Shadow would miss her. Amy sighed, shutting her eyes tightly.

Would it hurt?

Suddenly, something slammed into her and then she was moving much faster. Strong arms wrapped themselves around her, pulling her against a familiar warmth. There was an abrupt stop and she went tumbling to the ground, still clutched tightly in the arms of another. Seconds later there was a crash. It must have been the robot hitting the ground. Amy's eyes snapped open. She tried to sit up, but could barely move.

"You alright, Ames?" a voice asked.

She found herself in the arms of none other than Sonic. He repeated his question and she nodded. He helped her to her feet, one arm around her waist in support. Amy's legs felt like noodles; just looking at the robot made her feel dizzy.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Sonic asked, a concerned look on his face.

She barely nodded, convinced that she was going to be sick.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Shadow shouted, suddenly in front of her, "You could have been killed!"

He looked beyond angry; fists clenched, face red. Amy bowed her head in shame; she hadn't considered him being this angry with her.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, "I didn't mean to-"

"Look, Hun," Rouge said, coming from behind, "You should have let us handle that. We know what we're doing."

Amy stepped away from Sonic, staring at the ground. Her eyes swam and for once she was grateful that her bangs covered her face. Her head was abruptly wrenched up, Shadow's hand beneath her chin. Her eyes widened considerably, chin trembling. He still looked angry, but behind that emotion Amy could see his fear.

"I can't lose you again, Amy," he told her, voice quieter, "You did well, but..."

He trailed off, shuddering. No doubt an alternative scenario, one in which she didn't live, was running through his mind. For a moment Shadow's careful controlled mask of emotions slipped and she knew that he was afraid. He was proud of her, but his fear of losing her seemed to out-weigh all other things. Amy wondered if he'd ever seen this side of him before and suddenly knew she hadn't. Guilt welled up inside her. Amy threw herself into his arms, hugging him.

"I'm sorry, Shadow," she whispered, "I never meant to scare anybody."

Shadow seemed at a loss. He pulled her closer, nearly crushing her against him.

"You aren't ready yet, Amy," he managed to say, "You need more training... Next time you can't just rush in without a plan. Understood?"

She nodded slowly, "I understand."

She slipped from his embrace, running the back of her hand across her eyes. Shadow patted her head.

He sighed, "You did well."

"I think you did great, Ames!" Sonic declared from beside her.

"Really?" Amy asked.

"Sure," he grinned, "That was pretty awesome for someone as short as you."

She blushed, giving Sonic one of her radiant smiles. Shadow shot him a look.

"Don't encourage her." he said tersely.

The air suddenly grew tense.

Sonic rolled his eyes, "She can handle herself, Shadow. You know it as well as I do."

Shadow glared at him, "She's not ready, Sonic. Don't make me repeat myself."

Amy stared as her brother turned threateningly on Sonic, who's eyes narrowed. He opened his mouth, but Rouge beat him to the chase.

"Fight's over, boys." she declared, suddenly in between them.

Rouge slung her arm around Shadow's waist, pulling him away. She whispered something to him and he shook his head. He said something in an angry tone and Rouge smacked his shoulder. Chastened, he finally nodded. Shadow turned back, glancing at Sonic.

"I'll be back in half an hour. Keep her out of trouble." he told him.

"Wait!" Amy panicked, "Where are you going, Shadow!"

"We'll be back." Shadow said dryly.

Before she, or anyone else, could react, Shadow had a strange gem in his hands. He raised it and then shouted something. There was a flash, then Shadow, Rouge, and the robot were gone. Amy stared, swaying on her feet. She turned to Sonic, who sighed, and explained that Shadow had teleported using a Chaos Emerald.

"It's called Chaos Control." he told her, staring at his shoes.

"What's a Chaos Emerald?" she asked, "Can everybody use them to teleport?"

Sonic reached back and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well , it's sorta complicated. It'll take a while to explain." He seemed slightly uncomfortable.

Amy wondered why.

"We can go inside while you tell me." she offered, and took a step.

Her foot connected with the ground and she shrieked.

"What's wrong?" Sonic said, alarmed.

Amy lifted her foot, finding the soles of her feet raw from running. Sonic whistled.

"That doesn't look pretty." he remarked.

"It doesn't hurt that much," she said quickly, "I was just surprised."

"Oh," Sonic said, "Uh, maybe I should carry you. Don't want that to get infected, right?"

She nodded uneasily. Sonic swept her into his arms with what seemed like practiced precision. She felt like a doll, leaning against his chest with his arms behind her back and beneath her knees. But the position was familiar and oddly comfortable. Amy snuggled against him, feeling more safe in Sonic's arms than she had ever felt before.

Why was Sonic so safe? What made him so special?

Sonic was a boy. One just like all the others.

Or was he?


	3. Act 2: Part 2

**Hey, ya'll.**

**Just wanted to add that the Japanese in this chapter might not be 100% acurate.**

**Sadly, I don't speak Japanese and google did the translations. **

**So, take it with a grain of salt. And if anybody happens to know the correct translations, do me a favor and send it to me. That would be most appreciated!**

***Also, I just wanted to let you people know: I am human. I make mistakes. If you find any, it would be awesome if you could let me know. Then I could fix them...**

**Anyway, those of you who have been sending reviews and actually telling me the things you didn't like, THANKS! It makes this story better. So keep sending em in. Or else ^^  
**

**Tai~**

* * *

ACT TWO: SONIC AND FRIENDS / JUST NIGHTMARES

PART TWO~

**SCENE SEVEN: SONIC**

Sonic didn't have much to say. He seemed to have forgotten their earlier discussion, and Amy didn't have the courage to bring it up again. They were in Rouge's living room, sitting in an uncomfortable silence. Sonic seemed to be lost his own thoughts, his hands moving mechanically as he cleaned up the scratches on her feet. He covered them with bandages, humming an odd tune. Amy shivered; his touch leaving her with a strange sensation. Finally, Sonic sat back.

"I think that should do it." he said, standing up.

"Thanks." she smiled.

"No problem." he replied, giving her a thumbs up and the smile that she knew so well.

_Wait_

She didn't know him. She'd only seen that smile once before. But deep inside, she was sure that she'd seen it more than that. His smile was as familiar as anything could be. In fact, Amy realized she had missed it. She had missed somebody she hardly knew!

"Amy?" a voice cut through her thoughts.

She looked up, feeling a smile spread across her face, "Soniku?"

It seemed to catch him off guard, Sonic's eyes widening considerably. Amy felt her face grow warm.

"I'm sorry," she sputtered, "I don't know where that came from-"

"It's alright," Sonic said quickly, "You used to call me that all the time. I shoulda known that you would have remembered _that_ of all things."

"I used to call you that?" Amy frowned, "What does it mean?"

Sonic laughed, startling her.

"It's something along the lines of... my name with a Japanese accent," he smiled, "You used to call me that when we were kids. When you still had an accent and everything..."

"I'm Japanese?" she gasped, eyes widening.

Sonic stared at her. Here was the Amy Rose, the most violent girl he'd ever known, looking more innocent that a kindergartener. Sure, her hair was messy, she was sweaty and scratched up, but she was still beautiful. And that thought scared him more than anything ever had. Amy abruptly started coughing, face turning pink.

"Are you alright?" he managed to ask, alarmed.

Amy absentmindedly waved a hand off in one direction.

"I'm okay," she managed, "My throat is just dry-"

Sonic disappeared for a moment (literally), returning with a glass of water. He handed it to her before flopping onto the couch beside her. She managed to thank him and then promptly downed the glass.

"How are you so quick?" she asked afterward, setting the glass down.

"Do you ever stop asking questions?" Sonic asked, raising an eyebrow in amusement.

She blushed, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to ann-"

"Ah, it's fine, no need to be so sorry about everything, Amy," Sonic said, tightening the laces on his shoes, "There must be a lot you don't know since...well...your...you know.."

His phone rang, saving his from finishing the awkward sentence. The cobalt haired boy ( Yes, he is a man, but it's so much...more awkward describing him as such...boy is easier and cuter...) fumbled with his phone, flipping a silver razor open. (razor as in phone. Last I checked, shaving tools were not used for communication...but who knows, right? ^^)

"Yo." he said, holding it up to his ear.

There was a pause as Sonic listened to the other line.

"Yeah, I get it."

Amy stared at the ceiling, letting Sonic's conversation fade into the background. She wondered when Shadow would be back for her. Sonic was nice; she genuinely liked him, but it was so awkward. Amy didn't quite like the way her stomach twisted when she met his eyes.

"Are you sure? She might not-"

Amy sighed, leaning back. She closed her eyes, for once unafraid to fall asleep.

_'Sonic will protect me...'_

"Yeah, yeah, Shadow," Sonic sighed in exasperation, "You owe me big time."

Amy looked up.

Shadow!

Sonic was on the phone with her brother. Was he calling to let them know he'd be home soon? Amy could only hope. She watched at Sonic snapped his phone shut, jamming it in his pocket. He seemed to do everything quickly. Except when he looked at her, or talked to her. Why was it that he would slow down with her and no one else?

"Alright, Ames," Sonic was saying, "So, there's been a change in plans."

She looked up, alert. What was going on?

Sonic ran a hand through his hair, ignoring the way it spiked back up.

"So, Shadow and Rouge just got a mission...and they won't free till next week," he explained, almost nervously, "So, they're gonna leave you with me an' Tails for a bit."

Amy felt her heart stop. A small part of her was cheering ecstatically at the thought of being with Sonic (which was odd because she felt so uncomfortable), but most of her was frightened beyond comprehension. A _week_ without Shadow? He was her brother, her protector, her guardian- how could she live without him?

"Amy?"

"Um, are you okay?"

Sonic had a confused expression on his face.

She shook her head, "No, Shadow can't leave me! He promised me!"

She found tears in her eyes, panic caught in her throat. She was falling apart, shivering violently.

"Hey, hey, it's gonna be alright, Amy," Sonic tried to reassure her, "Just calm down..."

"No," she shrieked hysterically, "He's going to come back for me! He's going to hurt me again!"

She leaped up and tried to run past Sonic, but he grabbed her wrist.

"Who's going to come back?" he tried to ask, but she spun on him, shrieking like a banshee.

"Let me go!" she screamed, "He's going to come back!"

Her fists pelted him, her blows surprisingly strong. Still, Sonic managed to to wrestle her down to the couch, pinning her arms at her sides.

"Just calm down!" he tried to tell her, "I'm not going to hurt you!"

She couldn't hear him, nor see him with tears flooding her eyes. The only sound either of them could hear being the horrible raw sobbing.

_"GET AWAY FROM HER!"_ A voice suddenly roared, and Sonic was torn away.

Shadow was suddenly there, wrapping his arms around her.

"Shh, calm down, mouse," he was saying, "It's going to alright."

"He's going to come back for me!" she cried, but Shadow hugged her tightly.

"Nobody is going to hurt you." he told her sternly.

She couldn't fight him, falling limp and crying herself out in his arms. Shadow said nothing, rubbing her back until the sobbing subsided.

"Are you alright?" he finally asked, lifting her chin gently.

Amy, face blotchy and red, shook her head, "No, I'm-m, not ok-kay, Sh-sh-shadow. You c-can't-"

Amy stopped, trying to catch her breath.

"You c-can't leave me." she said, tears welling up in her eyes again.

Shadow sighed, "Amy, I have to go."

She shook her head, "You don't. S-s-stay with me."

"I'm coming back. I won't be gone forever," he told her, "What happened to being strong?"

Amy lowered her eyes, "I'm sorry."

A tear escaped her eyes and Shadow drew her back into his embrace, like a father holding his daughter.

"Don't cry," he told her softly, "It's alright to be scared sometimes."

Sonic rolled his eyes, trying to control the urge to point out Shadow's contradictory statement.

"Amy, who's gonna hurt you?" he asked, unable to control his curiosity.

She looked up slowly, her eyes haunted. Shadow didn't seem to notice; he was busy glaring at Sonic. The cobalt haired one opened his mouth, but Amy suddenly blinked. The dark haunted look was gone; instead she looked just like a scared child, clinging to her older brother. Sonic stared, his mind quickly trying to figure out exactly what the look had meant.

"I don't know," she finally said, "But he wanted to hurt me. He tried to, but..."

"But what?" Shadow asked, his gaze scary quiet.

"I don't remember," Amy said, looking away, "I'm sorry, Shadow."

"It's alright," Shadow said, and then as an afterthought, he added, "Did Sonic hurt you?"

Sonic flinched, eyes narrowing. The nerve of Shadow!

Amy shook her head.

"He wanted me to calm down...but I was scared. I didn't want you to leave."

Shadow looked pained for a moment, "Amy, I'm sorry, but-"

"Come on, Ames! You know you're never alone. Tails and I are always here!" Sonic declared.

Amy blinked.

"Who is Tails?"

There was a moment of silence.

"Um, well, Amy...he's a friend..." Sonic managed.

Shadow took advantage of the turn in the conversation, "He knows you, Amy. Would you like to meet him?"

Amy smiled; she liked the sound of the name already. She nodded.

"Would you mind staying with him for a couple days? He could show you around Station Square," Shadow offered, "And of course, Sonic would remain with you as well."

Amy shook her head, "No."

"You sure?" Sonic asked, "We could stop at Archie's before we meet him. Today's ice cream Tuesday."

Amy jumped out of Shadow's arms with the enthusiasm of a little child.

"My favorite!" She exclaimed, "I go there every week!"

Shadow's face split into a grin, "I know you didn't forget everything."

Amy blushed, thrilled that she had made Shadow happy. But then she stopped.

"Wait," she frowned, "Ice cream for...no Shadow?"

The trade sounded horrible. It didn't matter if it was pretty much the equivalent of a date with Sonic, which she really really wanted and could not understand why in the least bit, but nothing was worth losing Shadow at this point. But meeting Tails! Being with Sonic!

Amy held her head, confused.

"And tomorrow you can go see the beach with Sonic and Tails." Shadow said, grinning wickedly.

Sonic said nothing, but Amy could have sworn that he turned slightly green. Was it because of her?

"If they want to, I guess." Amy found herself saying, desperately hoping that Sonic wasn't sick because of her.

"Why don't we go hiking? To Las Vegas! Anywhere! Anywhere but the beach!" Sonic cried, waving his hands around for emphasis.

"No," Shadow shook his head, "I think the beach will be fine. Right, Amy?"

They both looked at her expectantly. She stared back, bewildered.

"I-I don't know..." she stammered.

"Do you like the beach?" Shadow asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't remember." Amy blinked.

Shadow sighed dramatically, in a rather un-shadow-like manner, "Why not visit it then? Life is rather short Amy. I suppose you might want to make the best of it."

"Okay...I guess." Amy said quietly.

Sonic groaned.

"Cheater." he muttered under his breath.

"You are just jealous that I have better persuasion skills." Shadow gave him a smug look.

Sonic scoffed, rolling his eyes, "Yeah, some persuasion, Shadow. Bullying an amnesiac."

Shadow ignored him, turning to Amy.

"Are you going?" he asked.

She tried to say no, but he wouldn't let her. Shadow reached around his neck, pulling out a silver chain. He unlocked the clasp at the back and then gathered it in his hand. There was a tiny pendent on the chain, a tiny red gem.

"I need you to take care of this for me, alright?" he asked her, quietly.

He looped it around her neck, snapping the lock into place.

"This is something very important to me," he explained, "Keep it safe until I return. Do you understand?"

She nodded slowly, her eyes filling up with tears.

"_Watashi wa, Amy-san gomen'nasai. Shikashi, kore wa nani ka ga hijō ni jūyōdesu_," he said whispered, another language coming from his mouth, "_I'm sorry, Amy. But this is something very important._"

She sighed, but nodded. Sonic gasped behind them, but neither noticed.

_"If you must go, please hurry back soon!"_ she replied, hugging her brother, "_Anata ga iku hitsuyō ga aru baai wa, sugu ni modotte isoide kudasai!_"

_"I'll call every night,"_ he promised, "_Watashi wa, maiban denwa suru yo_."

He managed to detach himself and then gave Sonic a very pointed look.

"Take care of her, or you will very sorry, Sonic Hedgehog." He threatened.

All the blue-haired boy could to was nod wordlessly.

Shadow turned back to his little mouse and gave her a genuine smile.

_"Be well."_ He said, and then was gone, "_Suru koto mo__._"

Amy sat back on the couch, her eyes filling with tears.

_"Please be safe."_

**SCENE EIGHT: SONIC**

So, her mind was a blank as a sheet of printer paper, but somehow she still remembered Japanese. How the hell did that make sense?

Asking Tails would give him a perfectly logical answer( which he didn't want to hear), but for the moment, Sonic just preferred to just wallow in his annoyance. It kept him from fuming about being saddled with Amy for a week. Which was a problem. His stomach already felt like there butterflies in it; God, he hated what she did to him.

Currently, they were at her apartment, picking up a bag that Rouge had packed for her. Although, apparently something had been forgotten, because Amy was taking ten freaking years. It was all he could do to not dash off.

"Come on, Ames." Sonic called, bored.

There was no response. Another problem, the girl was like a silent ninja. If it wasn't to ask a question, she hardly ever spoke. Amy had never been like that before. This creeped Sonic out in a way he couldn't explain.

Amy appeared in the doorway, smiling at him. She'd showered and changed into a pair of white capris and a lacy yellow top. Her hair was damp, but she'd slipped a hairband in it.

"I'm sorry, Sonic." she said simply.

"S'okay." he managed to mutter, turning to leave.

He took the duffel bag from her and lifted it over his shoulder, trying to hide that he was really in a daze.

The way her eyes glittered serenely, the curve of her lips, the way her hair fell around her face. Sonic caught his breath, feeling himself turn red. It wasn't just her face. It was everything. Even the very way she was dressed. The clothing was simple, the sort of thing that a mother would dress her child in. But Amy was so innocent, so fragile. She was cute, she was-

Sonic shook his head, clenching his eyes shut.

She wasn't cute! She was only a girl! A friend!

No, not even a friend: a stalker he'd been saddled with for a week.

He wasn't looking forward to having her around, nor was he happy about the planned trip to the beach.

Or was he?

Maybe he really did want her around. Because maybe Amy was more than a stalker to him. Maybe more than even a friend.

'No!" Sonic told himself furiously, vowing to stay strictly business mode with this girl.

He locked the door, and they began to leave. There was an uneasy silence. Sonic found that silence didn't suit him; he found himself wondering what Amy was probably thinking. A moment later, he banished the thoughts.

_'Business mode, Sonic. Business mode only.'_

"Sonic?" Amy asked, her voice quiet.

"Yeah?" Sonic snapped, trying not to look at her.

He focused on the stairwell's steps, trying not to listen to her steps behind him. He told himself that she was probably going to complain about something. Maybe whine about how much she wanted to be with her brother and speak her stupid language with him. Probably something stupid and Amyish.

"You don't have to go to the beach...with me, I mean," she said, "Unless you really really want to."

Sonic stopped, caught off guard. The old Amy would have literally dragged him to the beach, regardless of whether he really wanted to go or not.

"Or, if it's because of me, I can stay back." she said quickly.

By now they were nearly finished trudging down the stairs that lead away from Amy's apartment. Amy tried to walk past him, but he blocked her way.

"Why would it be because of you?" he asked, confused.

Sure, Amy would always drag him to the beach. But that didn't mean that he didn't have fun sometimes. Sometimes.

"Well," Amy said, her voice barely more than a whisper, "You...don't really like me..."

She glanced up at him, her eyes filed with tears. Sonic sighed; the girl seemed to be crying nonstop these days. And Sonic was not a person who knew how to handle tears. He wanted to make her feel better, but past attempts had often led to more bruises than he preferred to admit.

But how could this little crying thing hurt him?

"It's not that I don't like you," he found himself saying, "I like you."

He threw an arm around her shoulder and hugged her close.

"Really?" she asked, but there was a suspicious look on her face.

Sonic felt odd, but this was something different than the usual panicked feeling he would get. He couldn't quite understand this feeling, but forged on anyway.

"Yeah, course I do, Ames," He grinned at her, "I just...water and I have never been friends."

He moved away from he, reclaiming his arm. He fingered the strap of her duffel bag.

"We don't have to go to the beach." Amy finally said.

"Nah, it's alright," Sonic told her, "We can go. And any other place too. Got anything else in mind?"

Amy shook her head, "I don't know any special places.."

"Why don't we ask Tails then?" Sonic suggested, knowing that his younger brother would find the perfect places.

Amy nodded, smiling.

They made their way to the street, Sonic fighting with his urge to run. Walking was a better idea, cuz it lowered the chances of freaking Amy out, but it was such as waste of time.

"Sonic!" a voice cried and something crashed into him.

With a cry of surprise, Sonic fell back. He landed on the duffel bag and heard something crack (_Amy was going to kill him..._). However, that was the least of his worries when he realized exactly who was on top of him. It was a girl, older than Amy by a good several years, and half a foot taller. A cascade of red hair fell over his face, smelling more like cotton candy than actual hair. Sonic wrinkled his nose; he hated that smell. Sweeping eyelashes, wide blue eyes gazing at him. Sonic suddenly realized who it was.

"Hi, Sonic," Elise grinned, "I found you."

You see, there were stalkers. And then there were _stalkers_. Amy Rose fell into the category of annoying, but cute (_Business mode, Sonic!_) and irresistibly good-hearted stalkers. Princess Elise of Soleanna ...fell into the creepy category. He'd once saved her from one of Eggman's _kidnap-a-princess-because-its-totally-evil-and-makes-me-look-awesome_ schemes, and she hadn't left him alone since. He seemed to remember he once being a sweet, reasonable sort of girl...but somewhere down the line that had drastically changed. Sure, a little attention from a pretty girl was always nice, but Elise had become the kind who would stop at _nothing_ to get what she wanted. And if it meant throwing all notions of decency, reason, manners, and sanity out the window - then she'd go for it. And what freaked Sonic out the most was that he'd actually once-upon-a-time been head over heels for this girl.

As it was now, he figured that he'd rather marry Amy Rose before he even went on a date with this girl.

That was saying something.

Trouble tended to follow

Trouble generally followed Elise and not the kind he could easily deal with.

"Yeah, great job." he muttered, trying to get back up.

Elise had other ideas. She pushed him back down, wrapping her arms around his neck. She smelled intoxicatingly sweet, her perfume hauntingly familiar. And typical of Elise, she'd dressed to kill. Literally.

Mini mini skirt, low cut top, sky-scraper heels, and the usual mask of makeup.

Very attractive, but very very fake.

Why couldn't any decent girls ever chase him? Why was it that Shadow always got the good ones?

Seriously...

"Princess, would ya please move?" he asked, "I'm on top of something."

"No problem, Sonic," she giggled, moving, "We can do this tonight if you'd like."

He tried not to grimace at her very un-subtle invitation.

"Uh, well, I'm sorta busy and-"

"Don't make excuses, Sonic," she whispered, suddenly very close, "I know you still want this as bad as I do."

Sonic paled, his breath catching in his chest. This was an awkward moment. Dear God. He felt an incredible amount of relief when he told himself that there was no way a certain pink haired girl could understand the event being referenced to. Thank God. Thank God. Thank God.

"Well, Princess," he managed, pushing her gently away, "You're very nice and real pretty, but I've got to roll."

He picked up Amy's bag, cringing at the sound of glass clinking against itself. The girl was going to be in tears when she found out.

"What's with the pink bag?" Elise frowned, trying to cope with the fact that she had just been turned down _again_, "Isn't that so _Amy Rose_?"

They way she said it made him angry. It was almost as if it was a bad thing. Which it wasn't.

"This is hers. She's going to-" Sonic broke off and realized that Amy hadn't said a word throughout the entire odd exchange.

In fact, Amy was no longer with him.

"Amy?" he asked, looking around frantically.

Had she remembered?

Sonic paused, his mind racing. No, it wasn't possible. She couldn't remember. She couldn't.

Regardless, this was bad anyway.

"Oh, crud."

**SCENE NINE: AMY**

She wasn't sure why it mattered so much. She couldn't find a single reason why it even mattered at all.

But that girl on Sonic; the sight of it made her blood boil!

She wasn't used to this anger, or much at all. In the several weeks since her accident, Amy remembered very few moments of anger.

But that girl...

Ooh, it made her _so_ angry!

Amy didn't realize where she was until she'd stopped in the middle of a park. Her feet had been on auto-pilot while she'd been angry. She looked around, realizing that she knew this park. This was Sation Square's very own central park and she knew that this was one of her favorite places to be. For a brief moment she worried that Sonic might not know where she was, but then she shrugged the worry off. Amy could handle herself. She was strong. Right?

Or at least that was what Shadow had told her.

She wandered through the park, stepping onto a cobbled path that led to a huge fountain. It doubled as a wading pool, stone sculptures dotting the circumference of the fountain's bowl. The sculptures were in the shape of flowers, made from white stone. The water was shallow, but still deep enough to reach her waist. Children splashed in it, the sound of their laughter almost therapeutic. Amy smiled, siting on a small bench.

Who wouldn't want to watch this?

"Hello there, dear." a voice said next to her.

Amy realized that most of the benches were occupied and that there was an old woman on the other side of the very bench she sat at. The woman was small and wrinkled, but her eyes twinkled from behind bi-focals.

"Hello." Amy smiled nervously, holding one hand up in a slight wave.

"Would you like to feed the pigeons, dear?" the old woman asked, holding out a paper bag.

It was then that she noticed the birds pecking at the crumbs on the sidewalk. The woman tossed a handful of crumbs out and a dozen more birds joined the crowd. Some of them were blue, others darker, a range of different shades.

"I-...are you sure?" Amy stammered, shyly.

The old lady put one hand to her hear, "Speak up, child. My old ears can't hear everything."

Amy hesitated, but then the old lady smiled, and she knew there was nothing to hear.

"Are you sure?" she asked, a tad louder this time, "I don't know what to do."

The woman smiled in understanding.

"Come here then and I'll show you!" the lady smiled.

She took Amy's hand, turning it over. The younger girl felt strange. She was taller and no doubt stronger, but she felt like little more than a child.

"Here, you've got to be careful that you don't scare the birds off at first. Once they see the food, it won't matter if you wear a hoop-skirt and do the tango." The woman said, holding a hand of food out toward the birds.

A bird landed on the woman's hand, pecking at the seeds. Amy stared, eyes wide.

"Now you try." the old woman said.

Nervously, Amy took a handful of crumbs from the back. She held her hand out, closing her eyes tightly.

What if a bird didn't like her and tried to peck her eyes out?

There was a slight weight on her hand and the a poke. Her eyes snapped open. There was a tiny brown bird perched on her palm. Amy giggled when it pecked her hand again. It tickled! Next to her, the old woman smiled, her face losing countless years in that one moment. The bird cocked it's head to one side and then leaped off her hand, flapping rapidly away. Amy tossed the rest of the crumbs down, watching the rest of the birds leap at them.

"Ah, the birdies already like you," the old woman said, "They must know you then. Are you sure you haven't done this before?"

Amy shook her head, unable to find a real answer inside of her.

"Thank you." she told the old woman.

The woman waved it away, "You don't need to thank me. I enjoy feeding the birdies everyday. In fact, my day isn't complete without them."

"I like feeding them too," Amy smiled, "They're so pretty and small."

"Well, not those ugly pigeon monsters. But they're all pretty," the old woman grinned, "It gives me something to look forward to each day. By the way, my name's Colleen."

"I'm Amy."

"Nice to meet you, Amy." Colleen smiled, extending a hand.

Amy shook it, her smile growing wider.

"AMY! WHERE ARE YOU?" a voice shouted.

Amy jumped, startled. She could see Sonic at the other side of the park, facing the other direction. It didn't seem like he'd seen her yet. Good.

"Ammmmmyyyy!" another voice said, clearly very bored.

It was Sonic, with that weird girl who was hardly dressed.

"Friends?" Colleen asked, raising an eyebrow.

Amy shrugged, "I'm not sure."

She looked back at Colleen, sad to know that she had to leave.

"Thank you so much," she said, "I promise I'll come back here soon."

She turned, and quickly began to run in the opposite direction of Sonic and the other girl. She wasn't quite ready to deal with either of them yet.

"I'm here every day at four P.M! Good bye, Amy!" Colleen called after her.

Amy turned halfway to wave and then sprinted off. If Sonic hadn't seen her, then he probably had heard Colleen's farewell.

Amy had no real idea of where she was headed, but it was better than anywhere with that stupid girl. She burst out of the park, relieved to see that nobody had followed her. But she kept running all the same, simply because it felt right. Somewhere inside, she felt as if she had always been running. Running to where...or why...she couldn't say. But she was running somewhere, after something...after someone. But who would that be? This was something she felt like she would probably be doing forever... until she ran into someone. Amy fell back on her bottom with an '_oof_'. She looked up. There was a girl standing in front of her, hands on her hips.

"Excuse me?" the other person, a gorgeous foreign looking girl, snapped, "Watch where you're going."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to run into you," Amy said quickly, getting to her feet, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. No thanks to you." the girl tossed her hair and walked away.

Amy watched her strut away, rubbing her behind. The least thing that weird girl could have done was ask if Amy was alright. It was an accident after all...

"Amy, are you alright?" A girl asked beside her.

"You aren't hurt?" another girl asked.

Amy stared at them.

The two girls were an odd pair. One of them was younger, the other nearly as old as Sonic. The younger girl was honey blonde, brown eyed, and probably the cutest little angel Amy had ever seen. She was dressed in a school uniform, a tiny blue chao perched on her shoulder. The woman next to her looked was taller and purple haired. Her eyes were hard as rocks, a beautiful topaz color. She wore a purple coat, boot-cut jeans beneath it. She held the younger girl's hand and a shopping bag in the other.

"I-I..." Amy stuttered.

The older woman blinked.

"I'm Blaze," she smiled awkwardly, "And this monster is Cream."

"And this is Cheese!" the younger girl held out her chao.

"Chao Chao!" the little thing said.

"I'm Amy." she managed.

"We know," Blaze said, "We're your friends."

Amy blinked. In the distance she could hear Sonic calling her name.

"I have to go," Amy said, "It was nice to meet you."

"Is Mr. Sonic looking for you?" Cream asked, confused.

"No," Amy shook her head, "But if you see him, would you mind telling him that I went back to Shadow's?"

Blaze raised an eyebrow, "Wasn't Shadow's place destroyed a couple weeks back...?"

"Uh...well, I have to go!" Amy said quickly, turning and running away.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, she stood outside a restaurant, panting. When she'd finally caught her breath, she stood and read the sign.

"Archie's." she said aloud, realizing this was the place Sonic had promised to bring her.

It would be smart to get away as fast as she could. If she'd been here before, then somebody might recognize her and call Sonic or something.

"Amy?" a voice asked behind her.

She turned quickly, alarmed. It wasn't Sonic, or that weird girl. She sighed in relief. It was that tall red-haired man that she remembered seeing the day the robot had attacked Shadow's house. Today he wore a pair of purple-lensed glasses, and he seemed more tanned. He wore the same gloves and jeans, but his shirt was black with a long sleeve stripped shirt beneath. But who was he?

"Tails?" she asked, confused.

The boy blinked, pushing his glasses up. His eyes were an intense shade of purple, scrutinizing her.

"I'm Knuckles," he said, "Are you alright, Amy?"

She shook her head.

"To be honest, not really." She said quietly.

"You know, Sonic is looking for you," he said, "He sounded pretty pissed off."

Amy crossed her arms.

"I don't want to see him right now." she replied stubbornly.

Knuckles sighed.

"He's going to kick my a** if I don't bring you back."

Amy stared, jaw dropped.

Knuckles blinked, "What's wrong with you?"

"You said a bad word!" Amy replied, "Shame on you!"

He stared as she shook her finger at him.

"Sonic was right. You really aren't okay."

"I'm fine!" Amy shot back, backing up, "You're the one who isn't. You said a bad word!"

Knuckles shrugged, "And your point is...?"

"Well...it's bad..." She stared as he moved closer, towering over her.

He put a hand on her shoulder, his palm huge. He was like a bear compared to the tiny petite thing that she was.

"Do you want me to help you find Sonic?" he asked her.

"No," Amy frowned, crossing her arms, "I won't move."

"You can't exactly fight back." Knuckles commented.

Amy sprung for her hammer, but Knuckles had already thrown her over his shoulder. She kicked and punched, but he began to walk away. When she tried to pull his hair, he grabbed her hands and held them in his iron grip until she was begging for him to loosen his hands. Knuckles ignored her. He was like a rock. Literally.

"Why can't you just leave me alone?" she protested.

"Think about it, Rose." Knuckles sighed, "Either I get a mouthful from Sonic, or I take you back and get a free dinner."

"You're trading me for free dinner?" she cried in outrage.

"Yeah. I'm hungry."

**SCENE TEN: AMY**

Sonic was waiting for them at the park. When Knuckles came down the road with Amy in tow, he looked as surprised as he had sounded on the phone. By then, she'd managed to convince Knuckles to let her walk, but not for a moment did his grip leave her. She didn't look very happy, but it was better than being carried like a child.

"I didn't think you'd find her _that_ fast." Sonic remarked, scratching the back of his head.

There were bags beneath his eyes that hadn't been there an hour ago. Why was he so worried about her? It wasn't like she was a child or something!

Knuckles shrugged, "I'm good at finding things."

Amy said nothing, glaring at the ground.

"Where did you find her, anyway?" Sonic asked.

"Outside Archie's," Knuckles said, "And speaking of Archie's, you owe me dinner."

"Yeah, yeah." Sonic muttered, rolling his eyes.

He turned to Amy, who tried to ignore him.

"Why'd ya run away?" Sonic asked, "You could have gotten hurt or something?"

"I'm a big girl, Sonic," She said, finally meeting his eyes, "And you were busy."

"Really?" Sonic said, crossing his arms.

"I was fine by myself." Amy crossed her own arms.

"You were lucky, Amy. If Eggman had shown up...you would have been in heck of a lot of trouble." Sonic told her.

"Who's Eggman?" Amy blinked.

Knuckles raised an eyebrow. Sonic opened his mouth, but they were cut off when a blonde haired boy came running, shouting Sonic's name. He looked alarmed.

"Sonic!" The blonde haired boy called.

It was the boy she'd seen on the day Shadow's house was destroyed.

"What's up, Tails?" Sonic said.

So this sullen looking boy was Tails. He didn't look very nice. To be honest, nobody was looking very nice at the moment.

"Sonic, there's been an egg-attack. A big one." the boy panted.

Sonic swore loudly. Amy's mouth dropped open and Knuckles smirked at her.

"Knuckles, make sure she stays here," Sonic said, "I'll be back in two."

He handed the duffel bag over and then zoomed off. Tails followed.

"What's going on?" Amy asked, confused.

She knew that it probably involved a robot, but who would make something like that and then send it to hurt people?

"Eggman makes em' and then unleashes them here." Knuckles explained.

"Why?"

He shrugged, "Who knows? Last I heard, he wasted to take over the world. Not likely with the Blue Blur over there."

There were the sounds of a battle taking place, and Sonic suddenly came into view. He was fighting a large robot thing and had already trashed it. It tried to crush him, but Sonic was faster by a very long mile. He seemed to be enjoying himself a little too much, if anything.

"Oh." Amy said.

Suddenly, she was yanked back. She hit something hard, an am crossing over her chest. She gasped in surprise and looked up. A horrifyingly familiar face glared back at her. It was Sonic's face, but twisted out of recognition. A robotic eye, a cold and red. Scraggly blue hair, a skinny metallic hand. Metal Sonic.

The nightmares of her childhood suddenly came back with force. Even after she'd gotten older, the sight of Metal had always chilled her to the bone. Years, nor accidents, could erase the memories of this monster yanking her away from Sonic, carrying her toward a certain death. Nothing had changed. Metal was still trying to take her away.

With in seconds, the monster had taken off, jet shoes roaring beneath them. It had happened so quickly that Knuckles, barely inches away from her, had no time to react. Metal felled him with one blow, Amy still clutched against him. A sudden scream escaped her, louder than she'd thought possible. There was a sudden pain at the back of her head, and stars danced before her eyes. She cried out, throat raw. There was another jab, harder this time. Amy slumped forward and darkness overtook her.


	4. Act 2: Part 3

**A/N: **

**Alright, sorry it's been so long, but I've been so bogged down by school...it's not even funny. **

**On the flip side, though, it means that what you guys get is a new chapter that's been seriously edited. Or at least as well as I could get it to be. **

**Some announcements:**

**~I will be extending the time between parts. It means more waiting time for you guys, but like I said, better editing.**

**~I NEED MORE REVIEWS! I don't mean this in a vain sorta ego-boosting way (not entirely ;D), but it helps me figure out what to do next, what to change, and what I'm doing wrong or right. Like the Sally-thing. All of you who said you didn't like my inclusion of Sally Acorn and how I did it, I appreciate it. Your opinion, even criticisms, help me so much.**

**So do me a favor and send em in! Even anonymous helps. (Speaking of which, I can't figure out how to switch the setting on to allow them...HELP!) Come one! You can't expect more chapters without more reviews! Seriously...*grumble***

**~Also, I'd like critic on Amy's pov. I feel like somethings off. What do you guys think?**

**Anyway, without further ado, here is the next part.**

**ENJOY!**

**Tai~**

* * *

ACT TWO: SONIC AND FRIENDS / JUST NIGHTMARES

PART THREE~

**SCENE ELEVEN: AMY**

"Amy Rose."

There was a faint voice in her head, whispering her name. It felt like somebody had taken a taken a bat to her head, a horrible pounding pain at the very back of her conscious.

The voice insisted, repeating her name again.

Her body was cold, still from the hard surface she was sprawled over. This place wasn't home. Why was it so cold?

"Amy Rose."

She slowly became aware of her wet cheeks, raw palms, the bruises singing for attention all over her. She opened her eyes, squinting at the bright light. Her hand was quivering as she moved it to cover her eyes. Why was she so scared?

"Where am I?" she whispered softly, the words scraping against her raw throat.

She looked round, trying to find something familiar, but she had no idea where she was. There were only four iron walls, grey and cold. Tears welled up in her eyes. She desperately wanted to be home with Shadow, or even with Sonic. She didn't care where she was. Amy didn't want to be in this place, where she was alone.

"I'm afraid I cannot tell you the exact location," a voice said, "But we are somewhere in the vicinity of Station Square."

The voice came from an old man, standing in the doorway. His nose was rather pink and large, a huge mustache sprouting from beneath it. His clothes were odd, an odd red jacket. But what scared her were his beady black eyes, weary and tired. She knew this man and he terrified her for a reason she no longer knew. Why couldn't she understand?

"Why am I here?" She asked, standing unsteadily.

The hair on one side of her head was crusted with blood and the shoulder of her shirt. She reached a hand up to touch the pounding spot and was surprised to find that her finger tips came back red. The room spun slowly in front of her. She put a hand to her forehead, trying to regain her balance.

"You know the answer as well as I do, Miss Rose. Just be a good girl and help me kill Sonic." The man sighed, his voice mechanical.

There was a long moment of silence. The girl stared him.

"Why would I help you kill Sonic?" she asked, her chin trembling, "I just want to go home…"

She fell to her knees, sobbing softly. A rough hand yanked her back up. She looked up, finding the last person she ever hoped to see. Metal. For a moment she stared and then abruptly began to struggle.

"Let me go!" she shrieked, her voice jumping an octave higher.

The robot grabbed her throat, pulling her a foot off the ground. She choked, her anguished cries cut off abruptly. It seemed like all her nightmares were coming true all over again.

"Release her, Metal," the old man commanded, "She deserves our pity, not our enmity."

She hit the ground; the only sound her pathetic sobbing. Three minutes and she was already in a heap.

_Shadow would be ashamed of me..._

But she didn't care anymore. All she wanted was to be home, preferably with Shadow. The world could go to hell for all she cared in that moment.

"It's alright." the old man said, patting her back.

She ignored it, only curling into a tighter ball, her sobbing jumping a notch in volume.

"Doctor, we were ordered-" a rusty voice began to say, but was cut off.

"This girl is going to die, Metal," the old man said, "Unless he can get here fast enough."

"Why are we helping them?" Metal asked angrily, "I want him to suffer!"

The old man was quiet, listening to the girl's sobbing.

"She doesn't deserve this."

"We can escape with her then." Metal offered with a sullen voice.

"Don't be foolish, Metal. We would be tracked down and slaughtered like dogs," the old man sighed, "Sonic will have to save her. We will stall as long as possible and then disappear, but you will have to play your part, I'm afraid."

They both realized that Amy had been quite for several moments.

"Metal, I'm afraid we'll have to put her under once more. We can't have her remembering this exchange; you know what to do."

Amy watched as Metal kneeled beside her, her breath catching when he smoothed her hair back softly. Why was he being kind? She knew that he hated her, she knew he wanted her dead- there was a sharp prick and everything went black.

**SCENE TWELVE: SONIC**

Oh, sh**.

I was so dead. If Shadow didn't kill me, I was probably going to jump off a cliff first.

"Sonic, relax," Tails was saying, "There's nothing we can do right now, but wait."

I stared at the 15 year-old jerk, wanting nothing more than to yell at him. The only problem with teenagers, of course, is that they often yell back.

"Tails, just leave me alone, k?" I managed to say, "I need to think."

He scoffed at the very idea of me thinking. Obnoxious, ungrateful teenager...

Anyway, I had more worries. Amy had been kidnapped.

Yes, yes, I know. Of all the retarded things that could have happened, I had lost already lost her twice with an hour. Apparently I was not cut out for the whole babysitting thing. No way. Uh-uh.

"Sonic?" Tails called, "You're muttering to yourself again."

I turned and glared at him for a good long moment before stomping outside to wait for Knuckles. The guardian was supposed to be retrieving his chaos emerald, but he was taking his sweet time while he was at it. Why on earth did we need a dangerous little stone?

Our only method of transportation, Tails' plane the Tornado, could fly pretty well on its own, but if we wanted to dream of catching up to Eggman, we'd need much more speed. He was holding Amy in a sky base, another Egg Carrier. The guy never got the clue, really. This was, like, his fifth air base.

Seriously. Why spend all the time and resources if I was going to trash the stupid thing anyway?

I sighed, sitting on the edge of the Bug. The Bug was one of those classic Volkswagen beetles from like ten million years ago, but it was literally the love and joy of Tails' miniscule fifteen year old world. He had way more than enough money to buy his own car, but he'd stubbornly insisted on building the thing himself. To be honest, I was actually glad. The kid had managed to hide almost an armada of weaponry on the thing, and when hooked up to a chaos emerald, we could go way faster than most other things on the planet. In my book, that was still somewhat slow, but I gave Tails credit for it being faster than almost everything else. All I had to worry about now was whether he'd actually get his stupid permit. Procrastinating teens…seriously…

I sighed, leaning back on the hood. If Tails saw me, he'd probably kill me, but that was really the least of my worries. Amy was probably terrified right now, not to mention in serious danger. At the very least, who know what garbage Eggman was probably telling her. She could barely remember her own name; she would no doubt believe whatever he told her.

Okay, that was really not a huge worry...I was still worried about whether I'd find her alive or not. Yes, yes, she'd been kidnapped more times than anybody could count, heck she was _literally_ our professional hostage, but...she'd been lucky so far. One of these days, somebody could, and probably would, pull a trigger on her before I could get there. It wasn't a pretty image, trust me. But every time she was kidnapped, it was back with force. Just closing my eyes, I could see her sprawled on the ground, a pool of blood spreading, and her beautiful green eyes empty. Sometimes her face was twisted in agony, sometimes it was morbidly serene. Sometimes her chest was ripped up by bullets, other times there was just a single bullet hole in the center of her forehead. But there was always blood, always grief, always fear. Because the very thought of her dying was like considering a world without air.

I shot up from my perch, rubbing my eyes. I couldn't let her die. I wouldn't.

She was _mine_ and I wasn't going to let her slip through my fingers so easily.

I stopped.

Where on earth had that thought come from...?

**SCENE THIRTEEN: AMY**

_"Leave me alone!"_

_The same sobbing voice. It's odd reliving a memory...and being consciously aware of it. This is like watching a movie, but acting in it at the same time._

_"Don't worry, love, it won't hurt...much."_

_A scream. _

_The sounds of a struggle. _

_For a moment I can't breathe; it feels like this is real again. Have I just been dreaming this entire time? Did this ever really end?_

_There's rain on my face, cold hands around my feverish neck. I opened my eyes, furiously trying to struggle. I didn't want to die, not after everything I'd been through. I watch my foot move, feeling it connect with something solid. I could hear the cry of surprise in my ears. Then I fell back, cracking my head against the cement. I was soaked and everything hurt so badly. I could hardly see straight, but I knew the man was in front to me. _

_Vaguely, I knew that he was familiar. I knew who he was. But I couldn't remember anymore. His foot came from nowhere, crashing into me. He took my arms, lifting me and slamming me against the alley wall. There was no energy left in me; no will. I was nothing but a broken rag doll. _

_I just wanted to sleep...sleep and never, ever wake up. _

_But inwardly, I knew that wasn't going to happen. I'd re-lived this memory before; I'd been at this precise moment so many times before. I knew what was going to happen next and I watched, feeling detached from myself. The girl in my dream sobbed brokenly, the man pulling her back down to the gritty, wet ground. There was the sick grin, his hands on her shirt, pulling, ripping._

_The girl and I, we screamed together._

_And then his fist came down and I was gone._

**SCENE FOURTEEN: AMY**

She screamed, throwing herself up.

How many times had she woken from a nightmare in this same fashion? How many times had she stopped, realizing that there was no rain?

There was no man. No pain.

_Nothing_.

She sat back in relief, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Every time she closed her eyes, it was the same memories. Each time it was from a different angle, from a different moment.

But the _same_ event.

The _same_ nightmare.

She knew she should have told Shadow about it. But she didn't know how to. Could he even help her? Speaking of Shadow...where was he?

And then she remembered. Shadow had left her. Sonic had been taking her to his home...but then...Metal Sonic.

She shuddered, realizing that she must have been left there. But where was there? There was an empty room, the walls a grey metal. She forced herself to scrutinize the room, glad to have something to take her mind off the dull pounding at the back of her head. There was a small vent on the ceiling about ten feet above her, but it was too small and too high to escape from. The only way out was a huge metal door, thick and unblemished. There was no knob or handle. And the only thing in the room was Amy. She shivered, watching her breath curl into faint tendrils of white before fading into nothingness. She curled into a ball, unsure of exactly what to do. Her pockets had been emptied; even her shoe laces were gone. Amy tried to summon her piko-piko hammer, but nothing would happen.

Why wouldn't it answer her?

She looked around, listening to her stomach growl. Sonic had promised to take her to Archie's. But now she was alone. Amy rolled over, facing the corner. The floor was hard as a rock and cold as ice. She realized that for the first time in her life (the one she could remember), she was truly alone. Amy had never been that alone before. Somebody had always been with her; somebody had always been there to take care of her. Tears welled up in her eyes, her chest shaking as she began to sob. The only thing she had left were her nightmares. She closed her eyes, shuddering when she saw Metal's empty red eyes staring back at her. Amy prayed desperately that she would never have to see the horrible monster again.

There was a sudden crash and the floor fell out from under her. Amy was thrown to the floor, uncurling from her ball just in time to catch herself. A second later, the dim light in the corner went out, plunging her into darkness. She whimpered; the small room seemed even more intimidating now. Amy sniffled, curling up in the corner. She hugged her knees against her chest in an attempt to keep everything together. There was a flickering of light from behind the door and then a sliver of yellow light. Then a shadow fell over the sliver, a foot, and the door slowly swung open. Her breath caught in her chest. There was a familiar silhouette outlined in the bright light.

"Sonic?" she asked, the hope clear in her voice.

"Afraid not, Ames." A very Sonic like voice said.

Amy rocketed to her feet when the light suddenly switched on.

It wasn't Sonic.

It wasn't a robot either, more like a cyborg, but she'd never seen him so clearly. His face was half human, the other side a patchwork of metal. One eye was robotic, red and icy cold. His other eye was red, a lighter shade, but just as cold. Both eyes stared at her, his mouth curled into a frown. He was dressed very normally, in a t-shirt and jeans, but she could see the outlines of metal plates scattered beneath his clothing. There were scars all over him, his hair a scraggily dark blue mess. He was a Frankenstein version of Sonic.

_Metal Sonic. _

Amy, quivered, staring. All thoughts of "keeping it together" flew out of her head; she was on the verge of wailing like a very small child.

Metal Sonic took a step forward, putting his metallic hand on one hip.

"Alright, Amy. We can do this the easy way or the hard way. You either come with me or I will drag you." He said.

She stared at him. His voice belonged to Sonic and it terrified her. All coherent thoughts left her head.

"W-where are you taking me?" she whispered.

"You don't need to know," he said, "Come here."

Amy didn't move. She cowered in the corner.

Metal sighed, "You'd think your stupid brother would teach you to have a spine."

And that did it. One moment she was scared beyond comprehension, but the next everything was suddenly clear. Icy clear. Scary clear.

"Take that back," Amy said in a voice she barely recognized, "Or-"

Metal grinned, "Or what? You'll cry on me?"

What had felt like ice turned to fire. Burning fire. Angry, angry burning fire.

"Or I'll kick your a**, you piece of junk clone." she spat, standing rigid.

Metal's eyes narrowed, "You want to say that again, little girl?"

Amy's eyes narrowed in response, "You-"

Metal was suddenly there, slamming her against the wall. Instead of cowering, Amy's hammer poofed up between them. Her foot lashed out, pushing the startled cyborg away.

"I'll make you take back everything." she growled, face like a demon.

"I'm going to make you very sorry."

He dashed forward, fist out. She barely managed to bring her hammer up. It cracked in half with the force of his blow and she was sent stumbling back. Metal's foot lashed out, kicking the hammer away. Amy shrieked; she'd forgotten that Metal was probably as fast as Sonic. And Sonic was insanely fast. She tried to punch him, but the cyborg grabbed her fist, backing her up against the wall. Amy tried to struggle, but his grip was like Shadow's. Unbreakable. Literally.

"You look scared, little girl," Metal grinned, "Regretting your false bravado yet?"

His face was inches from hers, his breath hot on her cheeks.

Amy wouldn't admit it, but she was terrified. Terrified, but angry beyond belief. It was a righteous anger and she found herself feeling exhilarated. This was so much better than being sacred.

"Get away from me!" she shrieked.

Her free hand slammed down on his shoulder, giving her enough support to bring her knee crashing into chest. Ten seconds later she was on the ground clutching her knee. Metal was grinning; he pulled up his shirt and revealed a metal plate covering a good part of his chest. There wasn't a scratch where she'd hit him.

"It doesn't look like you're much of a match for me," he said, a small smile on his face, "But I like your spirit, little girl."

Amy glared at him, pain clear in her eyes. There was red spreading across the knee of her capris, white agony lancing through her. Metal reached down, looping his hands beneath her arms. He pulled her up, trying to drag her toward the door. Amy's foot touched the ground and she shrieked from the sudden pain. Tears streaked her cheeks, but she somehow managed to keep glaring at him.

Metal sighed, a brief regret covering his features. But then his face was blank and he slung her over his shoulder. She tried to struggle, but he ignored her. Out the door they went and into a dimly lit hall. There wasn't a point in struggling and within minutes Amy had already stopped trying. She was uncomfortable, but at least Metal wasn't trying to hurt her at the present moment.

"Where are we going?" she asked softly.

He ignored her.

They passed a great deal of rooms, walking for some time. In most rooms there was equipment and robots. Some were motionless, but others were busy at work. Metal eventually stopped at a huge grey door. He put his left hand, the human one, on a small pad beside the door. It scanned his hand and then there was a faint chime, the door sliding open. It led into a huge hanger, but it looked like they were on the network of ramparts and railings above it. There was a large container in the middle of the room, most of it made of glass. Metal stopped at the railway just above it. He sighed.

"The doctor wishes for me to apologize...for what we must do."

"I don't understand-"

"I'm sorry as well. We had no choice in this."

And then he leaped over the rail. Amy shrieked as they plummeted, leaving her stomach behind. They came to a sudden stop, Metal's jet shoes suddenly kicking in. He drifted down toward the huge container and then inside it. It was nearly twice Amy's height and wide enough for her to lay down with room to spare. Metal sighed, and then dropped her halfway in. She landed on her bottom, crying out in surprise. There was at least a foot of water at the bottom, icy cold. Amy shot to her feet, gasping.

"I hope you can hold your breath."

Amy craned her neck upward, but Metal was gone. A cover suddenly slid over the top of the aquarium container-thing, effectively trapping her inside.

"Why am I here?" she shouted, sloshing through the icy water.

She kicked and punched at the walls, but it wasn't normal glass. Reinforced glass. She got a very bad feeling.

"Why am I here?" Amy shouted, praying that someone would answer, "Don't leave me here! _What's going on?"_

As if to answer her cries, a vent near the very top of her new prison slid back and icy water began to fill the tank.

**SCENE FIFTEEN: SONIC**

"Get ready!" Tails said through the headset, "We're almost there!"

The wind whipped through my hair, the sea sparkling below us. We had the Chaos emerald, Knuckles had finally shown up, the Tornado (_The New And Improved Version Funded with Lots of Money_, which meant no more shouting over the wind or lack of seat belts) was up and running, and we were moving. Score. No, double freaking score.

Tails adjusted his goggles, concentrating on flying. Knuckles, behind him, was silent. His arms were crossed, eyes closed. He had that _I'm-meditating-bother-me-and-die_ look, but I could tell from the occasional nose twitch that he was asleep. Hah, stoic guardian my butt.

I was perched on the plane's wing, trying to get psyched out for this rescue mission.

"Why is it that you never manage to fall off the wings, Sonic?" Tails pondered.

Somehow, everybody else was blown away when they tried to ride on one of the wings (except Knuckles, because he was _literally_ a rock), which made perfect sense. Except that I managed to ride easily. Without falling off. And no, there were no magnets in my shoes.

"Tails, its pure awesomeness. Which you don't have." I grinned.

The boy scoffed, "Hah, you wish."

"I'd like to see you move faster than 750 miles per hour."

"I'd like to see you make eggs without burning the house down."

Waaay low, Tails.

"I'd like to see you remember to wash off the grease off your face before you fall into bed at two A.M." I shot back.

"I'd like to see you remember to get to bed."

And this continued for some time, until Knuckles jerked awake and yelled at us both to shut up. And of course, we ignored him.

I could tell why Tails had started it. It was better than thinking about what we would or would not find when we finally got to the base. On a basic level, rescue missions were fun. Fighting eggman was fun. Simple concept, really.

But over the years, I'd seen everything from the downright silly to stuff that was just plain wrong anyway you spun it. As far as villains went, Eggman was fair. He kidnapped my friends 24/7, but he was only out to get me. Nobody else ever got hurt and if I could dodge enough bullets, we all went home alive. But every once and while he would outdo himself with schemes that would leave the rest of us reeling. And that wasn't counting all the other villains, who had no such qualms about letting people live. Tails still had nightmares about the time Eggman almost killed me in space; hell, he even went to a therapist for a good time after the whole incident died down. Shadow was still bothered by the idea of being part alien (from a _maniac_ alien, no less.), but what really got him was the whole _shadow-is-an-android_ thing from a long time back. I didn't think that the feeling of being nothing more than an empty copy ever leaves you, even when you later find out that you're not.

Personally, I still saw the day Shadow died. Over and over again. Not specifically when he died (referring to Sonic Adventure 2); heck he didn't actually die up in space. But having to walk into a room of people jubilant to be alive and then having to say, _'oh, hey, you know that guy who just saved our butts? Well, he's dead. Lost in space. Too bad..._'

Well, that really sucks.

I still remembered the look of Rouge's face, the pain in her eyes. (Yeah, I could totally tell she like him, even back then. Knuckles never had a chance. Poor guy.) And then Amy's face, the shocked, empty look. She hadn't quite known their relation yet (which still escaped me. How on earth were they related again? _Note to self: ask Amy about it If she remembers…._), but that girl could spend days grieving over a squirrel, for God's sake. Anyway, but the memory of seeing her cry again, so soon after crying for my "supposed death" (which was sweet of her, really)...I couldn't forget the feeling of failure.

Yeah, we'd just freaking saved the planet and Shadow had been my enemy up until an hour before, but...I'd always managed to bring everyone home. And on that day is suddenly become clear that I couldn't always save everyone. Which is why I had to freak out every time Amy was taken; even if it was involuntary. The panic wouldn't leave until she was safe and sound in my arms.

"Hey, earth to Sonic!" Knuckles shouted in my ear.

I jerked forward, nearly falling from my perch. Had I fallen asleep?

"Huh, uh...what?"

"Where do you want me to land?" Tails asked, glancing back at me.

We had arrived. It looked like this carrier was smaller than usual. Good, my job would be easier.

"Am I your mom?" I rolled my eyes, "Why don't we land on the only freaking landing strip this thing has?"

Tails rolled his eyes, angling the plane. Knuckles snickered, until I kindly pointed out that he hadn't thought to tell Tails that either. Seriously, those two. And I was supposed to be the scatterbrained one.

The wind picked up, but Tails kept us steady. It was a rough landing, but we survived. But something was up with Tails. Among the many other things that were already wrong with my adopted brother. It was probably his age. Which was surprising, because when I was his age, well...

Okay, I was worse.

Never mind.

Anyway, any landing was better than that one time Tails had forgotten to build landing gear into the transformed version of his previous Tornado. _ANYTHING_ was better than that.

As soon as the Tornado rolled to a stop, I was off. I told Tails to stay with the plane, and then tore my headset off. Knuckles followed, though he kept his on. The only way inside was through an elevator. We were in a hurry, so we took it. It brought down to a long corridor, with countless doors on either side.

I turned to the expert tracker, "Alright Knuckles. Where to?"

He paused for a moment, sniffing the air.

"This will be harder because she's not a Chaos Emerald...but Amy has this distinct smell...like strawberries or something fruity..." he trailed off, walking forward with his nose still in the air.

"So what do I smell like then?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Beneath your cologne, which smells like crap to begin with, you smell like chili-dogs and old socks." he replied.

"Seriously, Knux."

"Old socks."

"Do you even know what socks are?"

"Yes. And you smell like them. And chili-dogs."

I left it at that.

**SCENE SIXTEEN: SONIC**

We wandered for some time, pausing every odd once and while so Knuckles could sniff the air. I chattered on pointlessly, the anxiety clear in my voice. And Mr. Knuckles the Bloodhound ignored me.

Suddenly he stopped, freezing.

"Did you pick up something?" I asked urgently.

"Blood...Amy's blood...there were robots...and Metal Sonic?" Knuckles blinked, "Metal Sonic was with Amy."

"Blood?" I exclaimed, "How much?"

"Not too much. She's probably fine." Knuckles said, but he didn't look like he believed himself either.

He stopped at a door and then punched it in easily. It lead to another corridor that branched off in three different directions.

Great.

Knuckles took the middle without hesitation. I followed anxiously, inwardly disgusted that I was acting like a scared little girl. Come on, Sonic; get some of that over-bearing confidence! Be a _freaking_ man!

"Amy's gonna be fine." I said aloud, more to reassure myself than Knuckles.

"We'll all be fine if you shut up, Sonic."

The middle hall led to a huge doorway, metallic and locked. What a joke. Knuckles burst through it like it was aluminum foil. Lasers suddenly shot past him, and I dashed forward. Before he had a chance to be surprised, I'd already thrown him out of the way and launched myself into a mob of robots. Within seconds, all that was left were the charred remains of twisted metal. I grinned, kicking a robot's head out of my way. When in doubt: destroy robots. It cures any ailment.

"You should have thought about an ambush before you jumped right into it." I called to Knuckles.

I found him behind the door, grimacing.

"Dude, you alright?" I asked, dashing to him.

He held his arm, blooding seeping between the guardian's fingers. HIs face was twisted into what looked like a heck of a lot of pain.

"I'm fine, Sonic." he said between gritted teeth.

"Here, lemme help ya." I said, ripping a strip of cloth from my shirt.

I touched his arm and he shouted.

"I think its broken." he managed to say.

I swore under my breath. He had to get hurt this soon into it? _Seriously_.

"I'll have to get you back to Tails, then."

"No...Its fine," Knuckles winced, "Find Amy. I'll be fine."

"You sure?"

He nodded, pointing with his good arm down the hall.

"She's there."

I helped him to his feet and tried to insist on getting him back to Tails.

Knuckles shrugged me off, "Look, Sonic. I know you're worried about her, but I'm not your freaking girlfriend!"

He walked away and I watched him go, face red. _Get_ _a hold of yourself, Sonic!_

I turned and dashed down the hall, which several moments later let to another hall that branched off. I stopped, unsure. Amy was counting on me; I couldn't take the wrong path. But which one?

I went right on whim, following my instincts. I brought a door down and crashed into a huge hanger. It was gray and empty, half the lights off. There was an odd tank/ aquarium thing to one side, glowing eerily. Curiosity got the better of me and I headed over to investigate. Something felt wrong and every step only put emphasis on that terrible feeling. There was something in the half-filled tank. A pink haired shape.

I swore, dashing the rest of the distance.

"Sonic?" Amy cried, eyes widening, "How did you find me?"

She was chest deep in water, shivering violently. Her lips were blue, tears in her large green eyes.

"Amy!" I shouted, "Are you alright?"

She was lying when she nodded; the girl looked several miles past not alright.

"This thing is filling up," she shouted back at me, "I can't swim!"

The old Amy had been able to swim in her sleep, but it didn't really matter. She was going to drown when the tank filled up, regardless of whether she could swim or not.

"I'll get you out!" I shouted back at her.

"Not if I can help it." a quiet voice said behind me.

Metal Sonic.

Oddly, he looked sorry. Almost like he didn't want to do this. But he was still there.

"I have orders to stop you at all costs." he said, voice monotone.

"Good luck with that, buddy." I growled back.

The cyborg suddenly launched himself at me, fists a blur. I threw myself back, flipping over and landing several feet away. Metal threw himself at me again. The obvious plan here was to distract me until Amy drowned. Not happening. Thus began the super speed dual, with fists, legs, blood, and insults flying. I had the upper hand when it came to speed, Metal being heavier than me for rather obvious reasons. But this time...Metal was as quick as I was, and well...he had more metal on him. Seriosuly, this was messed up. It made it harder to hurt him without hurting myself at the same time. I spun into a round house kick, catching my copy in his side. He doubled over and I jammed my fist in his face, catching the edge of the plate of his face. He flew back, landing on the cold ground. Without a moment to waste, or one to whine about how much my hand freaking hurt, I dashed back to Amy. The water had risen faster than I expected, it was up to her chin by now. She looked terrified, unable to do anything except watch the water rise.

"Have you tried your hammer?" I shouted at her.

She nodded, "I couldn't carry it."

Which was odd. I'd seen her kick some serious butt barely a couple weeks back. How on earth did that make sense?

'Focus Sonic! She's gonna drown if you don't do something!'

I backed up and then spin dashed into the glass. Not even a crack in the glass. I back up even further, slamming into the glass again. There was only a crack in the glass, a small one. My head spun, but I had to do it again. Suddenly, something crashed into me. Metal was on me, punching me.

Stupid clone, why wouldn't he just give up?

I threw him off me, trying to fight back, but everything was spinning. Metal's fist connected with my face and the next thing I knew, I was on the ground. He leaped at me, foot poised to crush my head, but I somehow I managed to roll out of the way. I swept my feet out, tripping him and then leaping up and onto the cyborg. My hands went around his neck and then I suddenly realized I was trying to kill him. And I wanted to. Amy was drowning because of him and by God, I was going to make him pay for it.

_Amy_

Her name cut through my haze.

_Shoot!_ This guy wasn't worth killing. Not when Amy's life hung in the balance! My fist slammed into the non-metal part of his temple and he slumped. Good.

I dashed to the tank, telling myself to focus. And then I stopped.

Amy was limp, sinking to the bottom of the tank. Bubbles drifted away from her mouth, her eyes half closed. Panic gripped me; it felt like I'd been punched in the gut. Again.

_No! She can't die!_

I leaped back, mustering everything ounce of energy I had left inside me and threw myself into a last desperate spin-dash. This was it. Either I saved her, or we both crashed and burned. Simple as that.

Everything slowed down as I spun, wind roaring in my eyes, my heart beat racing. Inwardly, I prayed I would hit the tank with my feet, and not my head. And then I hit it. There was a brief flash of agony, so quick, but so deep and wide spread, and then a roar. I was knocked down, icy water suddenly everywhere.

I must have been knocked out, because the next thing I knew, I was sprawled on the ground. I was soaked to the bone, a terrible pounding at the back of my head. Somehow, I managed to sit up, wondering what on earth had happened. I found Amy, sprawled on the floor, unconscious.

"Amy?" It was odd, hearing the panic in my voice.

I felt detached from myself, barely aware that I was pulling her into my arms. She was shivering, violently, her lips blue and skin a sickly pale white. She suddenly jerked awake, coughing violently. I sat her up, holding her as she coughed up a good amount of water, and then emptied the contents of her stomach. Afterward, she slumped against me, panting. Amy tried to say something to me, but then her eyes closed and they didn't open again. The girl was so out, it wasn't even funny. Somehow, I managed to get up, Amy in my arms. The lights seemed too bright, but I needed to get her to a doctor _ASAP_. I tried to run, but I nearly keeled over from the agony in my head. Walking it would have to be. Needed to get to Tails before I passed out too...


	5. Act 2: Part 4

**This chapter would not get written .**

**I cannot tell you how long I've spent rewriting, editing, throwing things out, rewriting and AHHHHHH!**

**This is what happened. **

**I'm sorry it took so freaking long. Not my intention at all. But speaking on lengthly waiting times, this summer might be like that.**

**I'll be writing, but I'll be busy too...so just a warning. Beware.**

**Also, I have some things to go through-**

**1- Um...once again, reviews are nice. Drop em as you please. Every single one helps toward the cause.**

**However, some reviewers have commented that they are unable to do anonymous reviews. Apparently I have that setting off.**

**Um...I'm still get the hang of . Anybody wanna help? I'd appreciate it a ton!**

**2- There is some more Japanese terms in this chapter. I did what I could with google translate, but if there are any errors, I plead the _I-really-don't-know-much-Japanese-but-doesn't-it-make-this-story-kinda-cool?_ thing. In fact, if anybody can correct me on any errors, that would be awesome!**

**3- Does anybody remember a couple chapters back, that character Ruby?**

**Well, she was originally Sally Acorn, but I kinda changed my mind. This story may include Sally later on.**

**But anyhow, I need a character to hate on. I've been thinking...what about Elise?**

**How about I put her in? (I really hate her .) but, if you guys can't stand that, then send me your thoughts...and I'll see. **

**This role will become more important later on...and an oc just doesn't cut it. **

**Alright, I think that's about it. **

**Any comments, questions, reservations, etc, please feel free to send me a message. I appreciate them!**

**Tai~**

ACT TWO: SONIC AND FRIENDS / JUST NIGHTMARES

PART FOUR:

SCENE SEVENTEEN: SONIC

I woke up with one helluva headache.

To be honest, the only way to describe the feeling was like having your head run over by a bulldozer.

Repeatedly.

I groaned, one hand already holding my head, convinced I was about to become a victim of brain implosion. I tried to roll over, but there was something heavy on top of me, just as freezing cold as I was. My eyes snapped open. The only thing I saw was a gray metal paneled ceiling. Great. I was in a detention cell. It was fairly typical as cells went, heavy bars along one wall, no windows, cold as hell. It probably didn't help that I was soaked to the bone, or that the shape on top of me was shivering just as violently as I was.

It was Amy, curled up tightly, my arms around her. We were on the only bed in the room, which was awkward to say the least.

(Heck, it wasn't even a comfortable bed. More like a slab of concrete raised off the floor.)

I didn't move at first, well aware that she was more of a mess than I probably was. Besides the fact that some of her clothing was torn and that she was dotted with bruises everywhere, what worried me the most was the blood staining one side of her head. One girl could only take so much brain rattling before she really went nuts. It was already bad enough that she was crying in her sleep; the expression on her face didn't suggest that she was having wonderful dreams. After a good couple minutes of watching I figured waking her up might not be a bad idea anymore. I nudged her gently, sitting up.

"Amy," I said, softly, "Time to bust outta here. Come on, wakey wakey."

She stirred, her grip tightening on my shirt. Then her eyes fluttered open, unfocused. It took her a moment to find my face, her vision clearing slowly. She said my name, her voice confused, and then sat up.

"You alright?" I asked, brushing her bangs out of her eyes.

Amy suddenly stiffened. Her head snapped around to look at me, her eyes wide with..._fear?_ Amy moved, trying to slip from my grasp. Her foot touched the ground and she shrieked, her leg crumpling beneath her. I caught her, but she fought out of my arms.

"Amy-"

"Leave me alone." she sniffled, limping several feet away.

I got to my feet, "What's wrong?"

I hadn't noticed how messed up her knee was. Jeez, the poor girl could barely walk.

"Just please leave me alone." Amy pleaded, sounding dangerously close to tears.

"Did Metal hurt you?" I asked.

It was a question that really didn't need to be answered, but all Amy did was burst into tears. I tried to comfort her, but she pushed me away, skittering to the other side of the room. I sighed, watching her watch me.

"Is it me?" I finally asked.

She nodded, but wouldn't answer when I asked her why.

"Do you want me to just stay right here?" I finally said, exasperated.

She shook her head, pointing to the far corner of the room.

"There?"

She nodded, watching me carefully as I moved further away. There was a moment of silence.

"Is it okay if I talk to you?"

She shook her head again. I banged my head against the wall, gritting my teeth. You'd think that a girl would thank you for saving her life, right? The only problem in the whole mess was that I really couldn't blame her. It was probably Metal's fault, really. Stupid jerk had probably given her enough fear to fuel her nightmares for the next ten years.

Speaking of Metal, I wondered exactly where Amy and I were. And what Eggman had in store for us.

Which meant it was time to bust outta this place.

I made my way to the cell bars, feeling Amy's eyes on me the entire trip. I gripped them tightly, jerking them in an attempt to find any instabilities. Not surprisingly, they were well reinforced. This place was too new to hope for weak infrastructure. Shoot. There was no way I'd be busting out, but it couldn't hurt to try, right?

I backed up, throwing myself into a quick spin dash.

No dice.

Heck, not even a dent.

But it got my headache roaring back up. I swore, kicking the bars and only hurting my foot in the process. 

_Wonderful. _

I glanced at Amy, to see if she was still playing paranoid amnesia, but she wasn't even paying attention to me, too busy crying in the corner.

"Amy?" I asked, taking a step closer, "Are y-"

"Leave me alone!" she shrieked, "Don't come any closer!"

"I'm not gonna hurt you!" I put my hands up in surrender.

"You're lying!" she sobbed, hiccuping through half her words, "You're just going to smile and then you're going to hurt me!"

"Who hurt you?" I asked, desperately, "Why do you think it's me?"

"He looked like you!" she cried, burying her face in her hands.

"What?" I cried, "Why the hell would I ever hurt you?"

"I don't know! I don't know why it's the same face, Sonic!" she shrieked, covering her ears, "I don't know why you hurt me!"

I know what it's like to be under incredible amounts stress; trust me, I at that moment, I'd really been through too much.I was black and blue, sore all-over, trying to survive a massive brain implosion of a headache, nearly having a heart-attack from worrying about Amy…

And that was it.

I snapped right there and then; twenty-two years of control down the drain. Before either of us could blink twice, I was in Amy's face, shoving her up against the wall.

"Look, Amy," I growled, "I've spent the last eleven years of my life saving your butt. I've never asked for payment, and I've never thought twice about it. Don't you think it would be pointless to try and kill you now?"

She stared at me, her eyes wider than dinner plates.

"I could have let Eggman take you a million times. I could have let Metal drown you. I could have killed you myself a dozen times over, Amy," I said, shouting at her now, "Get in in your head, Amy! I would never intentionally hurt you! _Not ever!_"

She just stared at me, pale as snow, eyes red rimmed from crying. She quivered violently and it didn't seem much like it was from the cold. I opened my mouth and then stopped, suddenly unable to find anything to say. The look in her eyes just about silenced me; I'd gone too far. 

_Way_ too far.

I half expected Amy to say something; anything, really. The old Amy would have beat the crap out of me, but this girl didn't say anything. Neither of us moved. There was just silence.

I lifted one hand, "Amy, I-"

She flinched away from me, whimpering.

I sighed, shoulders dropping. Instead of convincing her I was safe, it seemed like the only thing I'd done was give her another reason to be terrified. My hands fell away and then I was suddenly at the other side of the room, banging my head against the wall. Amy didn't say anything, instead, sliding down to the floor. She pulled her knees against her chest and let her head droop, her hair covering her eyes. I could still hear her drawing quick, shaky breaths as she desperately tried not to cry. She wiped at her eyes almost furiously, small sobs escaping from her lips.

It was hard to watch...

I mean, sure, I'd seen Amy cry a million times before. But that was back when she had been insane, bi-polar, and tough as nails. But this girl was so unlike the old Amy. She was fragile and terrified, and I felt like shit for hurting her even more.

As pathetic as it sounded (and coming from me, of all people ) I really needed Amy to not be scared.

I needed her to smile, laugh, to do whatever it was that she did.

I needed her to tell me that she was really all right.

Because this mess was anything but all right.

Amy wasn't all right.

And as long as she wasn't, neither could I be.

I'll never know how I did it, but by some miracle, I got to my feet and went to the girl in the corner. By the time I'd managed to muster up enough courage, she'd dissolved into sobs, wailing like a little kid. In future days, I'd look back at that moment and nearly die from embarrassment, but it sorta felt right, scooping her up and holding her like she really was a little kid. At first, she was tense and scared, but when I wouldn't let go she sorta gave up, instead crying into my shoulder. Even when she was finished crying a whole long time later, neither of us moved. I didn't say anything, and neither did she. There wasn't really much to say anyway. I found my mind wandering, noticing things that I hadn't taken the time to see before. Things like how, even when she was so messed up, even when her face was blotchy red or her eyes were pink and red rimmed, Amy was still pretty. Okay, scratch that, she was beautiful. _Freaking_ beautiful.

"Amy, I'd never hurt you," I found myself telling her, "You know that, right?"

She didn't say anything for a moment, her arms slowly wrapping around me.

"I know, Sonic," she whispered softly,"But I've seen the same dream over and over again. I've never seen his face before today...but I know what I saw."

"You're sure he looks like me?"

She nodded, "Yes."

"I didn't do it," I said, "You've gotta believe me."

Amy leaned back, looking up at me, "Sonic, if it wasn't you...then who was it?"

"It could have been anyone. I've been impersonated before, but he'll probably try it again and we'll catch him when he does."

Amy's grip tightened, "What if you don't find him in time?"

My voice growing tense, I replied, "We'll find the jerk in time and make him sorry."

She flinched at the murderous tone my voice had taken.

"Amy, I'll protect you, k?" I continued, lowering the tone to something less scary.

"You've done such a wonderful job of protecting her, Sonic," a voice said from the door, "It's a wonder she's still breathing, really."

I tried to turn and stand simultaneously, tripping over Amy and we both ended up in a heap on the floor. Fairly embarrassed, I helped Amy to her feet, standing protectively in front of her.

"Mind your own business, egg turd." I glared at him, rather belatedly.

Eggman glared at me. I felt a hand slip into mind and tighten.

"Insult me all you'd like, boy, but you'll be begging for mercy soon enough."

Eggman managed to say it with a total lack of conviction, which proved to weird me out way more than he usually did. To be honest, this whole set up was a little off. Even Metal, who usually enjoyed trying to kill me, had looked funny. Nobody seemed like they really wanted to do any of this.

Then why the hell was it happening?

"Sure, I'll be sorry as soon as you figure out how to keep my attention long enough, robuttnick. At this rate, I'll be asleep before you finish your next sentence." I snorted.

Eggman's face turned slightly red, but instead of yelling like usual, he just sighed, "Just wait, Sonic. You'll be sorry."

"Yeah, I'll be sorry I didn't kick your butt hard enough."

The old man and walked away silently. I rubbed my head. Something was so clearly wrong. I was missing something big here.

But what?

I turned to Amy, feeling her hand clench mine even tighter. I sighed; she looked scared. Not again...

"Do you want me to go over there?" I sighed, pointing to the far corner.

She shook her head quickly, pulling closer to me.

"Hey, hey, relax, Ames." I told her, "I'm not going anywhere, k?"

"But he's going to hurt you." she said in a small voice.

Oh, jeez. Two minutes before she'd been convinced I was the boogieman and now she couldn't let me move two inches away. Jeez, she was going to drive me insane.

"It's alright, Amy," I told her, "It's kinda like a joke. Nobody ever means it."

She didn't look like she really understood, but only frowned. I sighed and guided her to the bench. Amy leaned against me and closed her eyes. For a while, I tried to figure out exactly what had to be going on, but there was only so much I could think of with a roaring head-ache. I mean, it was normal for Eggman to take a break sometimes. Heck, I'd get worried about the old guy if he didn't. When Eggman didn't want to battle, he didn't.

Simple as that.

But what was he doing trying to kill Amy (usually, it was me he wanted, not her) when he clearly didn't want to?

Was somebody else calling the shots?

And if so, who?

"I'm sorry, Sonic." Amy said softly, yanking me from more depressing thoughts.

"For what?" I asked, confused.

Amy stared at her hands, "Well, I...I'm...scared of everything..."

Her shoulders slumped, "Shadow says I need to be strong, but it's hard because, well, I'm so..."

"Lost?" I provided.

She sighed, but nodded, "People tell me that I was strong, but I don't remember anymore. I'm so confused and it's really scary sometimes..."

I patted her head, "It's alright. None of this is your fault, cuz you're doing the best you can."

"But I should try harder." Amy protested.

"But who decides when enough is enough? You can't just wake up tomorrow and remember everything right off the bat." I looked at her for a good long minute, but she only bit her lip and looked at the ground.

I sighed; I'd certainly expected her to take a couple days off and then come back at me full force, Amy style. But she couldn't do that. Amy would never be the same. It didn't matter if I liked it or not; this was Amy now.

"Face it, Ames. You're never gonna feel the same again. You've been through a whole lot and you'll always remember this, even if you eventually remember everything you've forgotten." I told her.

"But...I'm never going to be the same," Amy said, "Doesn't that bother you?"

I shrugged, "It doesn't. You're a bit different now, but beneath it all, you're still you. Some things haven't and probably won't ever change about you."

"Really?" Amy asked, hope growing in her eyes.

"Sure, I guess," I shrugged, "I mean, you're still crazy, so it can't be that big of a difference, right?"

Amy looked at me and blinked, "Am I crazy?"

"You always were." I grinned at her and told her the infamous story about her mistakenly jumping other guys who happened to look like me.

Amy listened quietly, tapping her finger against her chin.

"And you're sure I did that?" she asked when I was finished.

"I have proof back at home," I grinned, "And you can ask Shadow if you want."

And then the craziest thing happened; she_ laughed_.

Honest to God laughed.

The old Amy would have thrown a fit and murdered me, but this girl actually thought it was funny.

And then I noticed something about Amy's laugh. It wasn't the twittering, air-headed girly laugh that I was used to hearing from so many different women...it wasn't like her voice had suddenly grown musical or anything, but...Amy had this clear, honest laugh that was oddly refreshing. She wasn't so difficult to figure out anymore. Heck, she trusted me enough to tell me things that I was sure nobody else had heard.

Was it me?

Or was this new Amy more different than I thought?

I felt my face growing warm. The rational side of me was sounding alarm bells, very un-thrilled with the idea of getting any closer to Amy, regardless of how she was now. Unfortunately, the irrational side of me (the one that I have a bad habit of listening to) decided that this really wasn't a bad idea. Amy wasn't an airhead. Sure, she was weird and still a little crazy, but this girl was real. And I liked that about her.

Once we'd finished busting our sides out, laughing really for the sake of laughing (I don't think I'm _that _ funny. Seriously), Amy beamed at me. She stood up carefully, her hammer suddenly appearing in her hands.

"If I'm so crazy, would it be alright to try and break out?" she asked, still smiling.

I shrugged, "I guess not. Course, you'd have to be able to carry that thing."

Amy frowned, hefting it with some difficulty.

"Sometimes I can barely pick it up," she said, "And other times it's as light as a feather."

I gave her an odd look, "How does that makes sense?"

"It doesn't." she said softly.

For a moment, there was uncertainty in her eyes; she didn't seem to think she could do it. But then her face changed, the expression replaced with confidence. She took a quick experimental swing, and then, without warning, slammed the hammer into the bars with all her might. There was a loud bang and then the sound of the bars vibrating. I covered my ears, but Amy tried again and again. She went at it for a good five minutes, each swing harder for her to throw. And then her hammer abruptly hit the ground and she stumbled back, landing on her behind.

Amy swore loudly and then suddenly clapped her hands over her mouth.

She looked at me, "I didn't mean it, I swear!"

She was apologizing for swearing?

I cracked up, "Are you serious?"

She looked confused, "But...bad words are..bad...?"

I rolled my eyes, "Shadow's rules?"

She nodded, making her best imitation of Shadow, "Cursing is for coarse, uneducated, undignified people. If you want to insult someone, you've got to be clever about it."

"Man, you should hear him sometimes," I told her, "He curses more than any of us combined. Except maybe Knuckles."

She looked at me, eyes wide, "He lied to me?"

Oh, shoot.

I could see where she was going with that.

"Ames, I think he just wanted to be a good influence on you," I explained, recalling something Shadow had told me on the phone much much earlier, "He wasn't around when you were a kid, so maybe he's trying to make up for it."

"Oh." Amy looked at her feet, tapping her chin again.

"How is Shadow related to you?" I asked, eyebrow raised, "You never really explained it to me..."

She looked up, "You don't know?"

I shook my head, "You two have known only for a couple years. I think I was traveling when you found out...or something like that..."

"Oh, alright," Amy said, "Well, it's a little complicated, but I can tell you."

She smiled at me. I stared at her.

There was awkward silence.

"Um, well," Amy suddenly jerked out of her own little world, "Shadow was an experiment created a long time ago."

"I know; fifty plus years. He got put to sleep, yadda yadda yadda. You're just 19, how'd you have the same parents when you guys are like forty years apart?" I interrupted her.

"Well, we don't have the same parents," Amy said, "Shadow is really like my great-uncle. My grandmother was an experiment too, but she was unsuccessful. As in she wasn't the ultimate life-form, even though she was very successful for that sort of project. She managed to escape from ARK when...when everything happened..."

Everything sorta made sense, "So, your grandma had a kid, and her kid had you? Except Shadow was still asleep?"

She nodded, "Shadow said that I looked exactly like my grandmother...so he thought I was her at first, but then records and DNA tests said otherwise. He doesn't want to be an uncle, so he said he'd rather be my aniki."

"Aniki?"

"Um, my brother."

"Oh."

"Sonic?"

"Yeah, Ames?"

"How am I Japanese?"

"Didn't Shadow tell you that?"

She shook her head, "He's not sure."

"Well," I said, "I'll take a wild guess and say that your grandma went to Japan and married there. Your mom might have done that too, but when she died, you ended up here with your aunt."

"What happened to Ka-san? And Oba-san?" she asked, confused.

I guessed that she meant her mom and aunt.

"Well, you told me that your mom died in a car accident with you father when you were a little girl...and your aunt died a couple years back from cancer or some disease. You were really sad about it for a while."

She didn't say anything for a moment.

"Shadow is the only family I have left?"

I nodded, "But don't forget the gang. We're here too, ya know."

"But I don't know them anymore." Amy frowned.

I smiled, "Well, then we'll invite 'em over and you can get to know 'em allover again."

"You would do that?" Amy asked, suddenly smiling like a little girl.

"Course I would." I grinned.

"Aw, isn't that so cute." A sarcastic voice said from behind the cell bars.

I stood and turned. Knuckles and Tails were standing in the corridor, the former fake-retching, the later rolling his eyes.

"Took you guys long enough." I said, face growing warm.

Great. They totally had to see that.

"You owe me dinner, Sonic," Knuckles growled, "Don't think I forgot."

I rolled my eyes, "Yes, Knuckles, I'm alive, thanks for asking. No, my head doesn't feel like spontaneously imploding and Amy's just dandy too."

"Let's just get out of here." Tails said, irritated.

Knuckles took the bars down with one blow, his bad arm, now wrapped in gauze, close to his side. Amy squeaked, leaping up and grabbing my arm.

Funny how a girl can handle the sound of a mallet hitting something a billion times, but not Knuckles destroying something.

"It's alright." I told her, "These are friends, remember?"

She blinked, peaking at the guys from behind me.

"Tails?" she asked.

The teen in question looked her way, "That's me."

She stepped out from behind me, staring at him for a long moment. And then, spontaneously, she grinned and threw herself at him. He managed to catch her, but nearly fell over.

"It's okay, Amy-"

"I know you!" she declared, over-joyed, "You're Tairisu!"

Knuckles looked at me, "Something is wrong with that girl."

I shook my head, unable to keep a grin off my face, "Tell me about it."

He looked at me like I was crazy, but I ignored it.

Tails groaned, "Please don't tell me you're going to call me that again."

Amy frowned, "I don't understand..."

"I hate Tairisu," he scowled, pulling his hood up, "It's not my name."

Amy's shoulder slumped, "I'm sorry, I didn't know..."

He shrugged, "S'okay."

"Can we still be friends?"

He smiled at her, the kind of smile he'd used to give everyone (before he'd turned into sulky teenager Tails), "Sure."

"You guys can be all cute and cuddly later, but I'm freaking hungry." Knuckles said from the corridor.

I rolled my eyes, "We need to get Amy to a doctor."

Amy looked at me, "I'm okay, Sonic. We can go home now."

I sighed, "Ames, you can barely walk. Don't get me started on everything else."

Tails glanced at me, "I can look her over."

"Yeah, doesn't Tails know first aid?" Amy said brightly, "I remembered that!"

I should have known the two of them would team up on me.

I sighed, "We'll see."

Tails raised an eye-brow, giving me a _what's-gotten-into-you? _look. I ignored him and did my best to smile at Amy. She beamed at me and then limped over. She grabbed my hand tightly, still smiling.

"Alright then, let's role."

The guys turned away and started walking. Without thinking, I leaned down and swept Amy off her feet. She snuggled against my chest like it was the most normal thing in the world. I could feel my face turning red; being cozy with Amy was _baaaaad!_

_But not unpleasant_, the irrational side of me commented smugly.

I looked up and realized that Tails was staring at me, surprised. He turned away before I could say anything, shaking his head. For a moment I was confused. And then I realized that it wasn't often I tolerated Amy's presence, let alone picking her up willingly.

I'd just been helping!

There was nothing in the gesture! Nothing -_you thought she was pretty-_

I swallowed nervously.

Amy was just another girl.

Seriously.

_Just another girl._

SCENE EIGHTEEN: AMY

It didn't help much that they were quiet, or that Sonic had a sort of smooth, flowing way of walking. It probably didn't help either that she was tired beyond comprehension.

"Come, on, sleepin' beauty," Sonic said softly, "Time to wake up."

Amy yawned, "I'm tired, Sonic."

"I know, I know," he said, "But Tails said you had a concussion."

"I know." she whispered.

"You shouldn't sleep yet, k?"

"But I'm tired, Sonic." Amy protested softly.

It was a struggle to keep her eyes open; Sonic was so warm and she felt so safe...

It was hard to explain how he made her feel. He'd seemed like just a friend, until his face had begun popping up in her nightmares. But when she'd been scared Sonic had refused to accept it, forcing her to see that he'd never hurt her.

Shadow _never_ would have shouted at her; Rouge never would have scared her like that.

They never would have said any of what Sonic had. And for that, and for his honesty in telling her that he didn't care if she'd changed, Amy couldn't help but to trust him. Especially when he was so nice about it. He didn't seem too sad about her lost memory, like Shadow did. It seemed like he really wanted to be her friend.

How could she _not_ trust him?

"You'll protect me, right?" she found herself asking him.

"Course I will, Ames."

She smiled, her eyes finally closing. Sonic shook his head, ruefully. He didn't have the heart to wake her up again. The poor girl had already been through so much; he could hardly blame her. Tails cleared his throat, Sonic glanced at him. He pointed down the hall. It appeared that the elevator was not too far ahead.

"Be ready, guys," Sonic said, "Anything could happen."

"Maybe you should wake her up." Tails suggested.

"Uh, yeah." Sonic set her down carefully.

"Ames?" he asked.

She made a soft sound, eyes fluttering open.

"Sonic?"

"It's time to wake up," he told her, "We're gonna make a break for the plane. We need you to be awake and ready."

"What's going to happen?" she asked, eyes growing wide.

"I dunno," Sonic shrugged, "We might get attacked, but we might not."

Amy bit her lip, "I don't want you to get hurt!"

"Nobody's gonna get hurt, Amy," Knuckles butted in, "We'll be fine."

She didn't really believe them, but conceded anyway. The sooner they got to the plane, the sooner they could all go home and sleep. Sonic insisted that he carry her again, but he had her piggy-back style instead.

Something about it being easier to run...

The ride up the elevator was tense.

Nobody said anything.

There was a faint chime and then the doors slid back, revealing the top deck. It was wood covered, with no structures save a communications tower in sight. Sonic instantly zoomed away, Amy clutching him as tightly as she possibly could. It was night now, the stars sparkling brightly above them. It didn't seem right to be so scared when the sky was so pretty. For a brief moment it seemed like they were going to reach the plane safely, then Sonic swerved suddenly. There was an explosion behind them; a brief wave of heat and then they were far away.

Sonic swore, asking her if she was couldn't say anything, only managed to tighten her grip on his neck. He didn't ask again, instead he turned and continued running. She shut her eyes tightly, trying not to cry. 

_-_

There was suddenly another explosion and Sonic was thrown into the air. It seemed that at that precise moment, their luck finally ran out.

Amy was suddenly torn away from Sonic, the wind screaming in her ears. She went spinning, watching in horror as the deck fell away from her. There would be nothing but clouds to catch her. Sonic shouted her name, but she fell away from the carrier, into the darkness.

Why on today of all days that gravity had suddenly decided to forsake her?

She watched the carrier begin to recede, astonished by how quiet everything seemed. If you could count the air roaring in her ears as quiet, of course. But it wasn't like she could hear anything she realized that she was probably going to die.

Amy came to a sudden halt, midair. A curious blue glow covered her and then the wind wasn't in her ears anymore.

How did that make sense?

"It looked like you could use a bit of a lift." a boy said beside her.

She jumped, whirling around. In front of her, similarly glowing blue, floated a fairly normal looking boy. Well, if silver-gray hair could be counted as normal... He was dressed in a generic white t-shirt and a pair of black jeans. He wore gloves, but oddly enough, there was a blue circle on his palm.

And heck, his eyes were a bright golden-yellow sort of color. That was hardly normal in Amy's book.

"We should hurry, Silver." another voice said, "Sonic will be concerned."

She craned her head. It was the lavender haired girl from earlier that day.

What was her name...Blaze?

"I...why aren't we falling?" Amy blurted, suddenly.

Silver grinned at her, "Well, I'm psychokinetic. I can move things with my mind."

"Wow," Amy breathed, "That's amazing!"

"Yeah," Silver agreed, "And if you think that's nuts, you should see what Blaze can do. She's a walking bonfire!"

Blaze made a face, "We really don't have time for this."

"Oh, right." Silver nodded and then they began to rise quickly.

It took moments for them to clear the deck and then the blue light was suddenly gone.

Amy fell half a foot, Blaze catching one of her arms and steadying her.

"Sorry," Silver said sheepishly, "I'm sorta running a little ragged. It's not easy getting up here."

They were interrupted by more explosions and then suddenly Sonic was there, grabbing Amy. She squeaked in surprise, more astonished to find Sonic swearing a blue streak. He looked more worried than she'd ever seen him.

"Amy, are you okay?" he asked, hurriedly, "God, I'm never letting go of you-"

"She's fine, Sonic," Blaze said, voice monotone, "We caught her on the way up."

"It was nothing, really." Silver added.

Sonic blinked, suddenly realizing how tightly he was holding Amy. He detached himself before anybody could blink, face bright red.

"Thanks, guys," he managed, "'Bout time you decided to show up."

Blaze shrugged, "We got held up, but we're here now."

"Yup," Silver said cheerfully, "Let's kick some butt!"


	6. Act 3: Part 1

_**[A/N]**_

_**It's been a while. **_

_**Long time no see, folks. It is I, the wondrous, fairly slow and tired Tai!**_

_**So, I've been gone for a whole long time, a judging for your comments, a lot of you have been waiting for this next part.**_

_**Well, here it is!**_

_**Just so you all know: I've been gone for so long mainly because of personal life reasons, but also because I've been editing the rest of this story.**_

_**So, this means I have gone back and fixed a lot of the previous chapters. Some sections have been lightly touched, others entirely re-written.**_

_**I'm afraid it would be best to re-read this story (so shameless ^^), but not yet!**_

_**The newer revised pieces will begin popping up in the next few weeks.**_

_**I haven't changed too much, but I'd like to say the writing is a whole lot better. **_

_**As always: send me your reviews, reservations, death-threats, obituaries, love letters, and etc.**_

_**So glad to be back!**_

_**Tai~**_

* * *

ACT THREE: You can't run from the truth, Sonic

PART 1:

SCENE 1: AMY

It was nearly dawn when Sonic finally stumbled into Amy's room, half-asleep and swaying on his feet. They'd been through hell and back (defeating an entire egg fleet was no simple feat!), but he'd insisted on getting Amy into a real bed. On the other hand, most of the gang hadn't bothered to move much past the living room. Sonic walked slowly, careful not to jar her knee, which had only recently been stitched back together by a tired ER surgeon. He pulled the covers back and then set her down on the bed. By some miracle, he managed to slip her shoes off without waking her. He slid Silver's sweater off her arms and then pulled the covers back over her. Sonic stared at her for a moment and then, without really realizing it, he leaned over her and patted her forehead. He turned and started to leave, rubbing his eyes.

Sleep at last.

Sonic had hardly reached the door when Amy suddenly jerked awake, expecting to find him right beside her. Her hands found empty air and she panicked. Scrambling out of bed, she shrieked Sonic's name at the top of her lungs. Her feet touched the ground, but instead of launching herself into a run, her face twisted in agony and she crumpled. Sonic caught her, swiftly pulling her off her feet. Carefully, he sat her on the bed and then plopped down next to her.

"Calm down." he managed to say as she burst into tears, "You're supposed to stay off your knee!"

It was enough to quell her panic, but not enough to stop her from bawling.

"Please don't leave me!" She sobbed, "He'll come back!"

Sonic suppressed a sigh. He really wanted to sleep.

"I'll protect you, remember?" he told her, trying not to yawn.

She sniffed, "Yes...but..."

"Nightmares?" he asked, blinking.

She nodded, reaching out and grabbing his shirt tightly, "Please don't leave me here."

"I'll be in my room, alright?" he told her, "I won't be leav-"

She shook her head, her grip tightening. In a small voice punctuated by sobs, she begged him to stay. He made the mistake of looking down at her, catching her bright green eyes, filled to the brim with tears.

Sonic sighed in defeat.

"Just for tonight." he finally said.

"Really?" she asked, eyes growing wide, "You'll stay with me?"

He nodded, repeating, "Just for tonight. _Only_ for tonight. "

She smiled relief clear in her eyes, "Thank you, Sonic!"

She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly, "Thankyouthankyouthank-"

"Can't...breathe- Amy!" he sputtered.

Amy jumped away, eyes wide with horror, "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you!"

"It's okay," he told her quickly, rubbing his neck, "Let's just try and get some sleep, huh?"

She nodded, climbing back into the bed.

Sonic pulled the covers back over her, "Sleep tight, k?"

She nodded again, frowning.

"And don't let the bed bugs bite." He said, finally earning a small smile from Amy.

"Goodnight, Sonic." she said softly, closing her eyes.

He tried not to smile, pulling a blanket from the end of her bed and tossing it to the ground. He waited until her breathing had slowed before he finally relaxed. It took a moment to find a comfortable position and then all he had left were his thoughts.

Why had he agreed so easily?

Sonic drifted into an uneasy sleep, afraid to discover the answer to such a deceivingly simple question.

SCENE 2: SONIC

It turned out that sleeping on the floor in Amy's room was ten times more comfortable than a slab of freezing concrete.

By far.

SCENE 3: SONIC

The air was oddly cool for a summer morning (was it even morning anymore?), my blankets far too thin to provide any decent warmth. But I wasn't cold, not with another warm body sprawled over my own. I yawned, wondering exactly how I'd come to be on the floor with another girl- I suddenly jerked awake, panicking. There was no way I could have done it!

Or would have done it! I'd sworn off drinking, it was impossible-

"Sonic," Amy sighed softly in my ear, "Stop moving…"

I nearly had a heart attack, turning my head and realizing that it was her – until I realized that we were both very much dressed and she was very much asleep.

I sighed in relief.

No hang-over.

Nothing had happened.

Nothing at all.

Remembering the events of the night before, I came to the conclusion that Amy had probably gotten scared sometime in the middle of the night…or afternoon, from the looks of the sun in the window. I sighed. It was bad enough that I'd slept in her room.

And now we were sleeping together.

In the same bed.

There was no way I could encourage that. My track record with Amy already sucked; the last thing I needed was for her to get obsessive all over again. Not to mention that Shadow would murder me if I decided _to touchy-feely-lets-cuddle-up-together_ with his kid sister. And besides that…I really didn't like Amy like that…and hurting her again didn't really sound like a great plan to me. I tried to slip out from under her, but her arms were around my neck in a death grip.

Didn't look like I'd be getting away from her.

Her grip stayed solid, even when I tried to pry her hands away. I sighed. This girl would be the death of me.

Well…at least she smelled nice...

The next thing I knew, the sun was rising again. I yawned, realizing that I'd spend an entire day and night sleeping on Amy's floor. Stupid Tails, insisting that we replace the carpets in our stupid house with hardwood floors. I groaned, wincing as I sat up. Great, I was sore all over. Half of it was probably from the mess of yesterday too. And Amy would probably be worse and I'd have to hear all about it.

Wonderful.

At some point it occurred to me that Amy was no longer next to me. Or even in the room.

I leaped to my feet, freaking out. It took a moment to figure out that she wasn't in the bathroom, or in the hallway. Ten seconds more and I knew she wasn't in any of the other bedrooms. Tails was in his bed, Knuckles was on the couch. Blaze and Silver had probably already hit the road, but that wasn't important. I ran into the living room, shouting Amy's name. I burst into the kitchen, running point blank into her. She stumbled back, eyes wide and surprised, a plate in her hands going flying. Before my frazzled brain could even figure out why she was doing _anything_ out of bed, I'd looped an arm around her waist, catching her, the plate, and the pancakes that had gone flying.

Might sound a little impossible, but moving at the speed of sound makes a whole lot of things possible.

Ten seconds later, I set Amy back on her feet and the plate back on the counter. And realized that the kitchen was actually _clean_. Now, Tails and I weren't incredibly messy, compared to Knuckles at least, but…still, the house was pretty bad. I couldn't even remember the last time I'd seen the counter. Or even the sink.

But it was actually clean.

Spotless even. And _Good God!_ somebody had swept! I looked at Amy, astonished. She blushed; hardly looking like the half-drowned, beat up girl who'd been through hell and back only the night before. In fact, aside from a couple bruises on her arms, and one on her cheek, she looked fine. Amy smiled, face still pink, and then I noticed her bright pink dress that actually looked…well, sorta cute.

Mentally, I kicked myself. She was not cute; let me repeat, _Notcutenotcutenotcutenotcute-_

"Look what I did, Sonic!" Amy said, taking my hand and dragging me into the dining room.

I gaped, staring at the dining room. It had been cleared of Tails' _schoolwork-projects-manga/comicbooks-remnents-of-random-food-stuff_. I could actually see the table, and the floor for that matter. More surprising, though, was the entire feast that had been laid out. Any kind of breakfast I could think of was there, including my non-breakfast favorites. Where had we gotten enough food for this?

"You cooked all this?" I blinked, turning to stare at Amy.

She blushed, "I wasn't sure what you liked...so I cooked everything I could think of!"

"Woah," Tails breathed behind us, "Amazing!"

He walked past us, hair disheveled, and sat himself sat the head of the table. Knuckles followed not more than a moment later, nose in the air as though he was following the scent of food.

Weird Guardian...

Amy ducked into the kitchen, reappearing a moment later with the plate of pancakes. I noticed that she was half-hoping, half limping, but definitely wincing.

"You're not supposed to be out of bed, Amy." I rounded on her, arms crossed.

She looked up at me, confused, "I feel fine, Sonic."

"You don't look fine," I said, "You don't have to cook for us, you know."

Her smiled faded, shoulders drooping, "You mean…you don't want me to cook?"

"Uh, no, I didn't-"

"I didn't mean to make you upset," she said, quietly, "I thought...I thought you might be happy..."

She sounded close to tears. I panicked.

"Hey, it's alright!" I sputtered, "I'm not mad- I just, you got hurt and-"

"You're not mad?" she sniffed, rubbing one eye.

"No, Ames, I'm not. Not at all."

"Oh." her voice sounded pretty small.

It wasn't hard to tell that she didn't believe me.

"I think it's pretty cool that you cooked all this...for us, really, Amy." I said, my face growing redder than a Christmas light.

I could hear Knuckles snickering, but I ignored him. Amy suddenly smiled, wiping her tears away. She gave me that wordless beam and I could feel my cheeks getting a whole lot warmer.

"Come on you two," Knuckles groaned, "I'm hungry!"

SCENE FOUR: SONIC

I'd never really eaten much of Amy's cooking before that point. There was the occasional cookie or slice o' pie, but I'd always run away from her before she managed to ever really give me anything. But it turned out, that even after all she'd been through, Amy really knew how to cook. According to the guys, Amy had only gotten better since her accident. But what I liked best was that Knuckles was so busy stuffing his face every time he stopped by the house that he never remembered to get his free dinner. Which was fine by me. Saved my pocket.

The only problem: Besides cooking, Amy had decided to begin an epic cleaning campaign that more or less included the entire house/workshop that Tails and I called home.

The only way to save ourselves from annihilation and loosing half out things (some people actually like a little mess) was to bribe her with enough ice cream and free movies. Which didn't really work. Amy insisted that she finish the living room and hall, but still managed to get a whole lot ice cream and movies and money out of me.

But really, the worst part of having Amy live with us: I didn't mind. At all.

At first I'd kept an eye on her because I'd promised Shadow I would…and maybe because I was a little more than guilty. But after a while it all stopped mattering. The only important thing to me was keeping Amy from turning back into the confused mess I'd first seen her in. As long as she smiled, it was alright. If I didn't have time to go running, or if I slept on the floor in her room, it was all worth Amy being happy. How weird that Amy being happy actually made _me_ happy? It wasn't hard to tell that Tails was baffled by the sudden change; he'd given me enough weird looks to get the message across.

But to be honest, it made two of us.

I was just as confused.

And Knuckles never really noticed. He was always too busy stuffing his face with something to ever really care.

SCENE FIVE: AMY

Living with Sonic was worlds away from living with Shadow or even with Rouge. Shadow and Rouge were organized, well, it was really Shadow. He had meals and days and everything planned out. He was quick, precise, and always to the point. He always seemed to have a plan and know what to do, even if all he was doing was spending time with Rouge, or trying to teach Amy everything she need to know about the world all over again.

Sonic?

He was messy, unorganized, every where and anywhere. There was no schedule, nothing to do, no pattern. They never did the same things (unless it was eating at Sonic's favorite chilidog stand). They stayed up late watching movies, ate whatever they wanted, did whatever they wanted.

It was like anarchy to Amy, who sometimes suspected she'd once lived a very scheduled life. But she couldn't remember and Sonic was never one to dwell on the past. He'd tolerated a good couple days of questions from her, but at a certain point he'd looked at her at said, "Ames, if you keep worrying about what's already past you, you're going to trip and mess up what's in front of you." That was as philosophical as he ever got.

Tails, on the other hand, had taken a sudden interest to her. Sonic said he was just playing at being her psychologist, but Amy wasn't sure she minded the attention. At least Tails answered her questions with real explanations. He'd even solved her dilemma with her piko-piko hammer. Apparently, her weapon corresponded with her emotions. When she was confident or happy or believing in herself, it was easy to manipulate it, but when she was unsure or scared, it wouldn't work. Not much of an explanation as to _why_ it did that, but it let her continue her training.

Another difference between Sonic and Shadow: Shadow gave her homework.

It came in the form of him pulling a couple of favors and having Knuckles agree to tutor her every morning in what he liked to call the _art of kick-butt_. The original title had contained a curse word, but he'd so kindly refrained from cursing or any type of complaining when she'd threatened to stop cooking goodies for him. Everybody was happy with the arrangement, except Sonic. It seemed that he was allergic to anything resembling a schedule and constantly forgot that Amy was supposed to train every morning from 8 sharp until 10.

Which was funny, because he always went running about that time. One would think that he would remember _something_.

"Amy, your ice cream is melting." Amy looked up, realizing she'd been lost in thought.

Currently, she was out on an ice cream run with Sonic. This meant getting cones from the best place in Station Square and then hightailing it to the top of bridge that stretched across the Emerald Cost and Golden bay. For Amy, it was strange to watch cars pass hundreds of feet below them and not be afraid of falling. Sonic said it was one of his most Favorite places in the Whole Wide World, but Amy wasn't so sure about all the wind.

"Amy?" "Yes?" she asked, looking up.

Sonic looked slightly concerned, his sugar cone half eaten in one hand.

"You keep spacing out on me," he said, reaching a hand out to feel her forehead, "Are you feeling alright? Is something wrong?"

Knuckles often called it _sonic-pretending-to-be-your-mom_ and laughed hysterically every time he saw Sonic do anything nice. Amy had eventually come to the conclusion that she and Sonic had once had a much different relationship before, but nobody, not even Tails, would explain it to her.

"I'm okay." Amy said softly, focusing on her cone. "Are you sure?"

he asked, raising one eyebrow, "You look tired. More nightmares?"

She nodded. For the first several nights her nightmares had all but disappeared. Sonic had even begun sleeping in his own room again. But then they had come back with a force. Amy tried to sleep alone, but sometimes when they got really bad, she'd sneak into Sonic's room and slip beneath the sheets with him. It had freaked him out the first several times she'd done it, but he'd eventually said it was alright and let her. Still she tried not to do it, even when Sonic insisted that it really wasn't a problem. He was really nice to her like that. She could tell he cared about her and it made her feel much better about Shadow being gone. As it was, Shadow would be coming home by the end of that week. Sonic had insisted that it was all the more a good reason to party while they still could.

"Ready to roll?" he asked between bites, "I promised Tails that I wouldn't keep you out all day. Said he wanted to ask you about something."

She nodded, but didn't say anything. It took a couple bites to finish the last of her cone and then Sonic picked her up. He took a moment to adjust her in his arms, her head coming to rest right where she guessed his heart would be. Amy sighed, already drowsy. Something about Sonic holding her like that made her feel more safe than she could ever remember feeling. It was like the moment his arms when around her, everything was safe and alright and she just knew that Sonic would protect her. She wondered, as she drifted to sleep with the wind rushing past her face and Sonic's heart beat in her ear, why she felt like that. Just what sort of relationship had she shared with Sonic before she'd forgotten everything?

And why wouldn't anyone tell her about it?

SCENE SIX: AMY

"Ames, come on, you fell asleep again?"

They must had stopped, because she couldn't feel the wind anymore.

"I'm not asleep..." she mumbled, opening her eyes.

She yawned as Sonic set her on her feet, his hands steadying her. Amy rubbed her eyes, looking up at him.

"Are we home?" she asked with another yawn.

"Course we are, dork-head."

He rolled his eyes, flicking her forehead lightly.

"I'm not a dork-head!" she protested, swatting his hand away.

"Course you are," he teased with a good-natured grin, "Who else would run around wearing so much pink?"

She blushed, "Well…I like pink and I didn't realize I didn't have time to get anything else because it's not my fault that you wanted to leave so soon."

"That make you a dork-head" Sonic grinned, "You should have planned again."

"Well, I'm not the one with blue hair." Amy stuck her tongue at him, turning on her heels and walking toward the house.

"Psh," Sonic said, close behind her, "I was born with blue hair."

"Of course you were."

"It's true!" Tails called from his workroom down the hall.

How he'd heard their conversation over the racket of his power tools, neither could guess.

"You're still a dork-head."

Amy frowned.

"Nu-uh," Sonic grinned, "I don't act like a dork-head."

"You've got blue hair. That's pretty dorky all by itself." Amy said.

"I've always had blue hair. It makes me a whole lot cooler."

"Still dorky."

"It's true!" Tails called.

Sonic ignored his younger brother, "If I'm such a dork-head, then how come you have pink hair, huh?"

"But I've always had pink hair…" Amy frowned.

"You can't call me a dork-head, cuz you're hair it just as weird as mine." Sonic grinned.

Amy was silent for a moment.

"Or we're both dork-heads?" she said, tapping her chin in thought.

Sonic shook his head, "No way. You're the dork-head, cuz I'm way too cool."

"That's not very nice, Sonic."

Amy frowned.

"I'm just teasin ya, Amy." Sonic said with his infectious smile and she tousled her hair.

They stepped into the living room and found Knuckles there waiting for them. Beside him was a plate heaped with cookies, cake, and the left-overs from dinner the night before.

"If you're not careful, you're gonna put on some serious weight, Knuckles." Sonic said, plopping down next to him and snatching a cookie.

Knuckles rolled his eyes, "How come you aren't obese?"

"I run," Sonic said, "A_ lot_ more than you do."

"It's true!" Tails called from the garage.

There was an awkward moment of silence.

Knuckles wiped his mouth on the back of his hand and stood, "Anyway, I came to train with Amy."

"But it's hot outside." Amy protested.

"Well, when it was cool out, you were busy running around with your boyfriend." Knuckles said, taking another bite of his cake.

Sonic turned bright red.

"I'm not her-"

"It's true!" Tails called.

"What the hell is up with him?" Sonic snarled, throwing his hands up in frustration and shooting out of the room,"Tails-!"

Knuckles chuckled, "Such an idiot."

"What's a boyfriend, Knuckles?" Amy asked innocently.

He blinked, "Are you serious?"

Amy looked embarrassed, "Well, I...Can you tell me?"

"Well," Knuckles said, giving her a serious look, "A boyfriend is a guy that is manly, who doesn't cook or clean, and has a pretty chic to look after him."

Amy blinked.

"Like you?" she asked.

Knuckles flushed bright red, "No. Not like me. A boyfriend has to be in _love_ with a girl."

Her eyes widened, "Really?"

Knuckles nodded solemnly.

Amy held her hand up, ticking off the fingers, "Sonic doesn't cook. He doesn't clean...He's pretty...manly...I guess..."

She looked up, "Knuckles, am I pretty?"

He shrugged, "Sure."

She blinked, "Is Sonic _in love_ with me?"

He shrugged again, "He'd like to tell himself otherwise."

"I don't understand...He doesn't want me to clean for him, so he couldn't..." Amy frowned.

Knuckles burst in laughter.

Oh, being mean to the amnesiac was so much funnier than it should have been.

Amy just stared at him, confused.

"Knuckles, I don't get it." She said, frowning.

He shrugged, "Ask Sonic later, we've got to train."

And he walked outside, feeling pretty satisfied.

Now if only he could find a way to record those two somehow…

SCENE SEVEN: AMY

The next day, they went to buy supplies for the beach trip that had been planned for the following day. Amy followed Sonic down the store aisles as he pulled random things off shelves and deposited them in the basket she carried.

"Don't forget sunscreen, Sonic." Amy reminded him.

He snapped his fingers, "Right. Wait here a sec."

Sonic disappeared, leaving Amy to stare at various brands of cookies lining the isle wall. Her mind quickly wandered off to another subject. Right after her training was finished the day before, Sonic had shown up and taken her to the park. It didn't feel like anything had changed at all. But Amy felt different on the inside.

Was Sonic really in love with her? Why did boyfriends not cook? Did that mean Sonic was her boyfriend? Why didn't he tell her? Was she _supposed _to know?

"Ames?" Sonic asked his face suddenly inches from her face.

She shrieked in surprise and nearly dropped her basket.

Sonic usually laughed at her, but his face stayed serious.

"Amy, are you sure there isn't anything you wanna...talk about?" he asked awkwardly.

Another thing she'd come to realize: Sonic wasn't very good with all the emotionally stuff. But he was trying for her sake and she appreciated it more than he could understand.

She shrugged, "I guess...It's nothing important..."

"Oh, alright," Sonic said looking slightly relived, "You can still tell me. Even if it is somethin small."

Together, they walked toward the checkout, where Sonic paid for their things. It took several minutes to run the groceries home, but then he popped back and took her out for lunch.

It wasn't until they were waiting for food at their table that Amy finally managed to open her mouth and blurt it out, "_tcookorcleanandyou'dliketotellyourselfthatyou'renotinlovewithmeandIdon'tunderstandbutKnuckleswouldn'tknow-_"

Sonic choked on his soda, "_What?_"

SCENE EIGHT:SONIC

"So, Knux said all that?" I asked, eyebrows raised.

Amy nodded, "But I don't really understand. You don't want me to clean...and how am I supposed to know if you love me or not?"

It seemed like my face was going to catch on fire today, judging from how hot it was.

"Hold the phone, Amy," I told her, "Knuckles is just talking through his butt. I like you Amy, but not…like that…I don't really love anybody like that, alright? Love is gross and waaay over-rated."

Amy blinked, trying to work it all out in her head. It wasn't that losing her memory had made her stupid or anything, even though it seemed like it sometimes. Amy was ditzy and confused, but stupid she was not. Hardly.

"You don't love me?" she said.

"No. We're good friends, Amy, but not more." I said as evenly as possible, praying she wouldn't get angry and try to kill me.

"Okay," she said, seeming slightly relieved, "I was worried I might have to kiss you or something."

I couldn't help laughing, "Jeez, you look like somebody just save your life."

She blushed, but continued with her questions, "So what's a boyfriend, then? And why is love over-rated?"

I sighed.

There was no getting out of it. Amy and I had talked about a lot of things, even her old life a bit, but love was an issue that I wanted to avoid. Like the devil. Seriously.

"Has Shadow talked to you about this?" I asked.

She picked at her food, chasing a meatball around her plate.

"Not much. I asked a couple times and then he said I should focus on more important things."

"Maybe you should do that." I suggested cheerfully.

Amy frowned, "But Sonic, nobody will tell me the truth."

I opened my mouth, but she cut me off.

"Knuckles lied to me, Shadow avoids it whenever I ask him, Rouge says I'm better off without love, Tails says he shouldn't tell me, and you don't even want to talk about it!" Amy said, glaring at her plate, "What are you all hiding from me?"

She had that tone in her voice that meant she was very close to tears, "Sonic, you're the only person who tell me anything. You're the only one who won't lie to me. What can't I know? And why?"

Jeez. Leave it to Amy to guilt me into the last thing I ever wanted to talk about.

I sighed, "It's not about what it is, Amy. It's about you're history and how you've dealt with it."

She looked up at me, completely serious. To be honest, Amy was scary. One moment she was bubby and cute (_business mode, Sonic!_), the sort of girl who cries for squirrels and other animals that are generally too stupid to avoid roads and cars. Sometimes her more vulnerable, needy side peeked out, like when she had a nightmare. It wasn't hard to deal with a girl like that. But every now and then, her temper exploded out of her, along with her huge piko-piko hammer that she could demolish walls with. There was only a single warning she gave before getting angry, the sort of look that said _if-you-mess-with-me-I'll-kick-your-face-in-no-questions-asked_, and I realized, as I sat right across from her, that look was written all over her face.

I gulped.

"I think I can follow, Sonic." She said, voice low, face like a stone.

It was my turn to pick at my plate. Panic sang in my head, clouding my thoughts.

_Awkward, awkward, awkward, this girl is going to kill me…_

"Not right here," I finally managed to say, "When we're done eating, alright?"

"Really?" Amy asked, eye growing bright.

I sighed, but nodded anyway.

Amy smiled, not a victorious sort of _in-your-face_ grin, but a smile with so much relief in it that it scared me. How long had this been bothering Amy?

"Thanks, Sonic." She said, softly.

I met her eyes and quickly look away. She had that glittering sort of dazed look in her eyes.

And it made me feel terrible.

There was no way I'd ever tell her the complete truth. Not in ten billion light years.

But…if I edged around it carefully enough, maybe she'd never know it was me, would she?

My attention was quickly diverted, by the sounds of clinking silverware. Amy was shoveling food into her mouth, eating like there was no tomorrow. I watched, shocked, she look almost like a boy.

Well…a boy in a dress, but still.

Only guys could eat like that.

I swear, all the girls I'd ever seen eating, even when they were hungry as hell and biscuits, had this dainty sort of way to eat.

But not Amy in a hurry.

Oh, boy, no.

Amy slammed her fork down, grabbing her lemonade and chugging it. Afterward, she paused and picked up a napkin. She wiped her mouth in that dainty sort of girly way and informed me politely that she was done. My plate was half done.

"Come on," Amy sighed, "A sloth could eat faster than you!"

I rolled my eyes, eating at a pace that was slow enough to bother anybody.

My mind was racing. She wasn't going to make it very easy on me.

What on earth was I going to say?

All too soon, though, I found myself leaving the restaurant with Amy. She had a bounce to her walk that I hadn't seen in days, smiling and looking excited. It only served to make me feel worse.

If I told her the truth, I'd never see that smile again.

And as much as I wanted to say that I didn't care…I did.

I did want to see her smile again. But it wasn't like I'd tell her that. Not ever.

Pretty soon, we were moving. I was running, she was in my arms, half asleep. She had a weird way of doing that every time I carried her. Even if we happened to be moving at, like, the speed of freaking sound.

"Sonic?" Amy asked, yawning, "Where're we going?"

"You'll see." I told her.

We ended up in a clearing in the middle of a forest. I wasn't much of a nature guy, but I knew how to appreciate landscape. And there couldn't be a whole lot of harm in choosing a place, just because I knew Amy would love the wild flowers that had pretty much taken over the clearing, right?

But the best part: Nobody would hear us or see us out here. Privacy.

I set Amy down and plopped myself down, laying back to watch the sky. She looked around for a while, touching a few flowers and smiling.

Score for Sonic.

Eventually, she yawned and curled up next to me. Somehow, her hand found mine. I knew she didn't mean it in the way I'd always assumed, but I still shifted and slipped out of her grip. We were already way too close.

How could I encourage anything more?

SCENE NINE: AMY

It was quiet in the clearing. Amy closed her eyes, breathing in the fresh air, feeling the sun on her face. She smiled, feeling the grass and flowers rubbing against her, listening to the birds singing. Somehow, she found herself focusing on the sound of Sonic's breath. He'd been quiet since they'd arrived, absorbed in his thoughts. He didn't even quite notice when she slipped her hand back into his. Poor Sonic, he seemed very lonely to her. She hoped that maybe, by being a good friend, she might attempt at paying him back for his kindness.

And friends held hands, right?

Well, at least sometimes…

"Sonic?" she asked softly.

"Mmmm?" His hand slipped out of hers.

Amy frowned. Why was he resisting so much? Maybe friends really didn't hold hands? She'd have to ask Tails. Maybe he would tell her. Probably not…

"Yeah, Amy?"

"You said you were going to tell me…right?" she asked, desperately hoping that he'd been telling the truth.

She believed in Sonic and she knew he would pull through. Or…she hoped.

"Oh," Sonic said, like he'd just realized that they'd spent the last half hour silent, "Sorry. Got carried away. Right, what love is."

She knew very clearly what love was. She didn't need Sonic to tell her that. But she couldn't remember the details…like what people in love did or what a boyfriend was or why people got married and she told Sonic so. Sonic sighed. It meant that he didn't really want to talk about it. But he started anyway.

"Well, you and I don't see eye to eye on "love" or really what people do. I'll just try to give both sides, alright?"

She nodded, "Okay."

"So, you're the sort of girl who loves roses and romantic dates and a happy ending. You think love is the solution to all problems and that everybody has that happy ending and all that garba- ah…well..stuff…You think people in love should get married and devote themselves to each other and yadda yadda yadda." Sonic said.

"You don't seem to like what I think." Amy frowned.

"I don't," Sonic said, voice flat, "I'm the sorta guy who doesn't want to be tied down by a girl. Love isn't all about romantic dates or a happy ending, because there is no happy ending. And it's not like marriage is the huge solution you think it is."

Amy sighed, "can you insult what I believe in when I can fight back?"

Sonic's cheeks turned red, "Right…sorry about that. What else did you need to know?"

"Boyfriends?"

"Right…so, it's like two people who love each other and go on dates together and stuff like that…but they aren't married. Some people do that instead of getting married, some people date and then later get married. Some people don't date at all. Sometimes it's a religious thing, you know, like knowing only each other. Like they have a 'marriage is sacred' sorta thing." Sonic said.

"Marriage is sacred," Amy said softly, "It's not a joke."

Sonic shrugged, "I guess I agree…but it doesn't always work out, you know. Which is why love is over-rated, because everybody things it's the best thing ever and they're all crazy about it. But sometimes it sucks, plain and simple. But people just don't see it, like you, the girl who somehow chases after the guy who broke her heart a million times, but you still love him and somehow think that love will "pull through" and there will be some freaking happy ending. Seriously, who does that?"

The last parthad slipped out of Sonic.

"Ah…well…you used to be like that…" Sonic said belatedly.

Amy was silent, staring off into the distance. She put a hand over her mouth, strange images rushing past her eyes.

_Memories_.

"I loved somebody?" she asked, her voice confused.

She looked at Sonic.

He had a terribly guilty look on his face, unhappiness in his eyes. She'd never seen him like that before. But Sonic held her gaze all the same and nodded.

"Why didn't anybody tell me?" she asked, tears welling up in her eyes, "Why didn't he come to see me?"

Sonic stared at the sky for a long time, "Nobody wanted to hurt you."

"Why?" Amy sat up.

"He didn't love you back," Sonic sighed, "And he was too much on an idiot to realize how much he'd hurt you until after it was too late to apologize."

He sat up, facing away from Amy.

There he'd told her and now he felt like garbage.

"Where is he?" she asked.

There was silence.

"Gone," Sonic finally said, "He left a long time ago."

Amy hugged him, crying into his back.

"I wish I'd never known." Amy sobbed quietly.

Sonic turned, putting his arms around her, "I wish I'd never told you."

She sighed, "I made you."

He couldn't bring himself to tell her that it was his fault for the entire mess that her life had become. They lapsed into a long silence. Sonic wondered if she would ever remember.

What would happen then?

"Do...you...remember anything about him?" he finally ventured, almost nervously.

Amy looked up at him. She'd been on the verge of sleep, listening to his heart beat through his shirt. But she thought very hard for his sake. She moved away from him, pulling her knees up against her chest.

"Well, not really," she said, "Sometimes I feel really funny, like I should be out chasing somebody…and now, I think I know why, Sonic. Because it's what I do, I have to follow. And there's a voice inside telling me, _Amy, you've got to keep running. Even if it hurts, even if he's mean, I'll show him I care even if it kills me, because he's the only one who makes me happy…_It's horrible, but at the same time, it's so nice to finally understand why I feel so lonely and so lost. Without him…it's just not the same."

There was a moment of silence before Amy continued, "I don't feel like that much around you, Sonic. You really make me happy. But it really bothered me that I didn't know…so thank you, for telling me."

She smiled, hugging him tightly, repeating her thanks. Sonic was silent, staring at the sky. His thoughts were a mess, his heart heavy with guilt.

"Have you ever been in love, Sonic?" Amy asked, wiping her tears away.

Sonic shrugged, "Yeah... Once. And she tore my heart up into a billion pieces and stomped on them."

Amy's eyes widened at his bitterness.

"I'm sorry..." she said softly.

He glanced at her, his angry eyes meeting her soft, innocent ones. He quickly looked away, forcing himself to relax. He reminded himself that he was angry at himself, not at the petite girl who sat next to him.

"It's alright," he said, "It's not your fault."

They lapsed into silence again. Amy stared at the trees, wondering if she'd ever meet her mysterious love. She wondered how he felt. Was he guilty that he'd never given her the time of day…or was he happy that she wasn't around to chase after him anymore? She wondered if she should ask Sonic who he was…did she want to know?

"Her name was Sally," Sonic finally said, interrupting her thoughts, "And we were best friends when we were kids."

Amy remained silent, still watching the trees, but listening all the while.

'We did a lot of things together...well everything, really. It sorta made sense to fall in love with her. She liked the plain old Sonic who slept in till noon and ate like a junk addict. She didn't mind that I was always off saving this person or that and she was smart and pretty and...it just felt right.'

He broke off into silence for a moment, sighing.

'We were pretty young when we decided we wanted to get…well...hitched. And we almost did," Sonic said, hardly noticing the way Amy's grip on his hand suddenly tightened, "But then Eggman had a whole grand scheme to take over the world and I nearly got killed. She couldn't handle the fear of loosing me and tried to make me promise that I'd never fight again."

He laughed, a short bitter sound, "Which was funny, because as smart as Sally was, she couldn't see that I was always going to be a hero. She couldn't understand that I wouldn't stop fighting until the very last breath was forced outta me. And she still can't see that, even five years later."

"Sonic-"

"She's getting married next month," Sonic said, "To a perfectly normal guy who doesn't live from fight to fight or dodge bullets or-"

Amy put a hand on his arm, "Sonic. It's not your fault. It's okay-"

Sonic shrugged her hand off and stood. She looked up at him, eyes wide. For a moment he blinked, realizing that stalking away probably hurt Amy more than it would help his mood. Sonic took a quick breath and held his hand out to her. He helped her up, trying his best to plaster a smile on his face.

"You know what sucks?" he said, "The fact that you're so easy to talk to. I can't keep telling you all my secrets; next thing I'll know, you'll have my social security and my bank number and probably my wallet too."

Amy giggled, still holding Sonic's hand. He suddenly realized that she wasn't going to let go of him. For half a second he panicked, but then Amy was jumping on his back and demanding a piggy-back ride. How ironic that one moment they'd been talking about love (the horror!) and then the next, Amy was laughing like a five year old. Sonic shook his head. She never ceased to amaze him.

SCENE TEN: AMY

They spent a long time in the clearing. But the sky eventually grew dark and they had to head home. To Sonic's astonishment, and Amy's delight, they found Tails with a girl. It was the girl she'd seen with Blaze on the day Metal had kidnapped her. When they walked in, Cream was sitting on the couch, watching a movie with Tails. The moment she saw Amy, however, she jumped up and ran to hug her.

"I hoped to see you!" she gushed, "I've got so much to tell you!"

"Really?" Amy replied, surprised and looking just a little flattered with Cream's attention.

The younger girl nodded and they quickly escaped to Amy's room. Sonic watched them go, shaking his head and muttering something about crazy girls.

Tails scowled at his older brother from the couch, "Thanks a lot, Sonic. You guys just had to come home and ruin the only time I've got to spend with Cream."

Sonic rolled his eyes, plopping down next to the blonde boy, "You've so got a crush on her, Tails."

His face flushed red and he replied indignantly, "I do not."

"You so do!" Sonic grinned, "It's written all over your face."

Tails crossed his arms, "Well, I'm not the one who's falling in love with a girl he's hated for the last ten years."

There was silence.

Tails looked at his older brother and paled. He'd never seen Sonic look so hurt, or so guilty, or try to hide it so badly.

"I'm not in love with her." He said, voice low. "Sonic-"

"We are friends, Tails. Friends and friends only. F-r-i-e-n-d-s, you moron." He interrupted.

But his eyes were looking toward the hall, where Amy had disappeared only minutes before. The look in his eyes said a whole lot more than _just friends_. Tails blinked in surprise.

Holy wrenches from heaven, Sonic was in love with Amy!

"I'm not in love with her, got it?" Sonic repeated, looking at his brother now.

"If you're not in love with her, then why are you trying so hard to convince me?" Tails asked, eyebrows raised.

Sonic rolled his eyes, "You're an idiot, Tails."

He got up and walked away, muttering something under his breath.

Yup. Sonic was head over heels for Amy. Too bad he was too much of an idiot to see it.

Tails shook his head ruefully and then turned his attention back to the girls…who had vanished. Great. He made his way to Amy's room, stopping just outside the door. They were talking loud enough for him to hear, score.

"A crush?" Amy was saying, "Does that mean-?"

"It means that…well, I like him." Cream said with a giggle.

Tails sucked in a sudden breath. Who were they talking about?

"What about him? Does he have a…crush...on you too?"

"I think so," Cream said, her voice just a little wistful, "Tails put his arm around my shoulder and said I looked nice. And he said we should get together more often."

Tails blushed, his head spinning just a little. Cream liked him too!

"What did you say after that?" Amy asked.

"Well, I said thank you," Cream said, "But that's not the point, I think Tails likes me!"

"That's really nice," Amy said, "I wish somebody liked me too."

Tails rolled his eyes. No wonder Sonic couldn't see it; Amy was just as blind.

"I'm sure somebody will like you one day," Cream said very kindly, "Maybe somebody does, but they're just too scared to tell you."

"You think so?" Amy asked. "I know so."

Tails suddenly remembered Amy's temper and figured he ought to not get caught eavesdropping. He knocked at the door and a moment later Cream opened it. They both blushed at the same time.

Amy appeared behind Cream, "Excuse me, I think I'll run to the bathroom."

She disappeared down the hall. Cream invited Tails to sit down on Amy's bed.

"Uh...I'm sorry we got...you know interrupted by them," Tails stumbled over his words, "We can always finish that movie later..."

"Of course, Tails." Cream beamed.

He blushed, but managed to smile back at her. Now if only he could just take the plunge and tell her, for the sake of all things holy and sacred. How funny that he could fight robots and aliens, run for his life, help save the world like it was something he always did (well, that was sorta true), but he couldn't tell a girl how much he liked her? Tails sighed. The injustices of life. There was suddenly a terrified shriek.

It could only be Amy.

Two seconds later there was another crash and he could hear Sonic's startled yell and then various loud curse words. Cream and Tails leaped to their feet, running towards the shouting. They found Sonic and that upstairs bathroom door. He was facing the hallway, his back to the door. Tails stopped right there, but Cream rushed in, telling the boys she'd handle it. The door shut behind her.

"What happened?" Tails asked, starting to get an inkling of what just might have happened.

Sonic threw his hands up in the air, "I don't know! She said she was bleeding, but she was half naked and-"

"She's probably on her period." Tails sighed.

"What?" Sonic sputtered.

The blonde boy rolled his eyes, "It's likely that she forgot what it was and came to the conclusion that she was dying. It hasn't been so long since her accident that it might have skipped itself, but it's likely that the cycle was delayed."

"Cycle? What the hell are you talking about?"

"Good God, Sonic," Tails said, "You don't know what that is?"

"I'm I supposed to?" Tails sighed.

Sonic was such an idiot.

"I'll explain."

It took a good couple minutes, but the look on Sonic's face afterward was priceless.

"Doesn't the blood freak them out?" he asked, the oddest look appearing on his face.

Tails shrugged, "Part of life, Sonic. God, you're such an idiot."

Sonic rolled his eyes, but then glanced toward the closed door.

"I hope she's okay." He said, his voice so low that Tails almost missed it.

The younger boy opened his mouth, but Cream suddenly appeared at the door. Sonic straightened.

"Is she alright?" he blurted out.

"I've calmed her down, but I need to grab a couple things." the younger girl said.

"I'll go with you." Tails cheerfully volunteered.

A moment later, Sonic stood outside the door alone.

"Hey, Amy." he called through the door.

"Sonic?"

"It's me. Are you okay?" he asked.

"I guess so," Amy said, "But Cream said that she would have her mother come over and explain...this...to me."

"But you're not scared or hurt, right?" he said.

"I feel a little sick," she admitted, "But Cream said that's normal."

There was a moment of silence.

"Are you alright, Sonic?" Amy asked, "You looked...freaked out."

Sonic shrugged to himself, "I'm alright, but sorry, for you know…barging in like that."

"It's okay. You were worried."

"Yeah..."

"Sonic?"

"Amy?"

"Do boys get their period?"

SCENE ELEVEN: SONIC

I watched from the window. Normally, I was not one for spying, but the look on Amy's face had really bothered me. Outside, beneath a palm tree, Vanilla and Amy sat facing each other. At first, Amy had looked interested in what Vanilla had to say, but then her eyes grew wide and she looked terrified. A range of emotions passed over her face, shock, appall, fear.

What on earth was Vanilla telling her?

"Don't worry, Sonic," Cream said behind me, "Mum will only tell her what she needs to know."

I turned away from the window, facing the girl who perched on the edge of couch. She smiled in earnest, but it didn't make me feel much better.

"Like what?" I said, "They've been out there for a long time."

"Well," Cream said, like it was nothing, "She's probably explained the menstrual cycle to Amy, but she'll probably explain sex and maybe even love. Things you probably couldn't explain to her."

I turned red. Like I would ever try to explain anything like that to her. I was saved from answering by Tails, who came in the room to collect Cream so that they could go for ice cream. By the time they'd left, Amy and Vanilla had come in.

Vanilla was the sorta woman who could have been anybody's mum. It was written all over her. Her voice, her hair, clothing, everything. A lot of guys envied Cream for still having her mum; most of us had lost our own parents one way or another.

"Sonic, are you sleeping alright these days?" Vanilla asked, standing in front of me.

Funny how a grown woman a head shorted than you can make you feel like a little kid.

"I'm alright, Mrs. Rabbit," I managed to smile, "Just a little worn out today."

I could tell by the look in her eyes that she didn't quite believe me. But Amy tugged on her hand and she turned away, her honey-blonde braid swinging with her. I focused my attention on the pink haired girl, who sported a much shorter braid, inwardly deciding that Amy would look great with a long braid. She said something to Vanilla before the older woman stepped away. Cream's mum patted her head and then went into the kitchen. And just like that Amy and I were the only ones in the room.

"How're you feeling, Ames?" I asked.

She stared at her feet, replying in a small voice, "I'm alright."

She sat on the couch, pulling her knees up against her chest and hugging them tightly. I'd been around the new Amy long enough to know that it meant she was feeling confused and scared. I plopped down next to her, throwing an arm around her shoulders and pulling her close. Any other day, Amy might have looked up and smiled at me, but that day she stiffened.

"What's wrong?" I asked, confused.

Amy scooted away from me, her face growing red.

"Amy?" I asked.

" said…that people who were in love had…you know…_it_." She said, her voice taking an odd tone.

"Sometimes." I said, not quite liking were the conversation was going.

"Yeah," she said softly, "But she said that people get very very close before it and I'd know that if a boy wanted that if they…you know…and she said that we were close and it might happen- and Sonic, she said it hurts and I don't want that to happen to me!"

She took a shaky breath and then burst into tears, "I don't want that from you, you're my friend!"

"Hold the phone, Amy!" I said, putting my hands up in surrender, "I'd never do that to you!"

She looked up at me, tears streaming down her cheeks, her mouth pressed into a flat, miserable line.

"Amy, Amy, calm down," I told her, "We're good friends, and only good friends, alright? I'd never do anything you didn't want, alright?"

I wasn't sure why I added the last part; Amy and I would never be getting _that_ close. Ever. Amy closed her eyes, reaching out and throwing her arms around me. I held her tightly, letting her cry. It was just like that first time she'd freaked out, and somehow, holding her felt right still.

"I'm scared, Sonic," she whispered, "But Mrs. Rabbit said that it was something nice and I might change my mind. But I don't want to change my mind, not ever."

I smoothed her hair, "It's your choice, Amy. It'll always be your choice, alright?"

"Have…have you ever?" Amy stumbled over her words.

"Uh…yeah…" I sputtered, face red.

She opened her mouth, no doubt to ask question I didn't want to answer, but I cut her off right there.

"No, I'm not talking about it, got it? Just go with what Vanilla told you, alright?" I said.

She stared at me for a moment, looking hurt for half a second, but then she seemed to realize that I wasn't going to talk about it.

"Don't ask anybody else, either," I told her, "Love is one thing, but not…_this_…it's something you have to do with the right person when the time comes, okay?"

She nodded, "Okay."

I pulled her close, "Don't worry about it, Ames, it'll all make sense one day."

"Will it?" she asked, sounding unsure.

"Course it will."

She put her head on my shoulder for a moment, then looked up at me. I could tell she'd found another question to ask me.

"Sonic, are we really friends? Honestly, truly?"

"Yup," I grinned, "Honestly, truly, absolutely. You're stuck with me, girl."

She leaned against my shoulder again, closing her eyes. She sighed softly, a relieved, almost happy sound.

"Can we be friends for forever?" she asked, voice growing soft.

She stopped me short.

Forever?

A month ago I'd avoided this girl like the plague. And now we were friends. Hell, I didn't even mind anymore.

"Sure thing, Amy," I told her, lowering my own voice, "We can friends for forever, and maybe even a little longer if you want."

She smiled and drifted off to sleep.

SCENE TWELVE: AMY

"Come on you bunch of slow pokes!" Knuckles bellowed, "We're going to the bloody beach!"

"Watch your language, Mr. Echidna." Mrs. Rabbit called sternly.

There was an awkward apology and then silence. Amy smiled to herself before turning back to her own personal dilemma. A knock on the door interrupted her.

"Amy, you ready?" Sonic asked through the door.

"I guess." she sighed.

The door opened and he stepped in. Instead of the usual jeans, he wore a pair bright green shorts and a t-shirt. Amy shuddered. There was something about that shade of green that truly bothered her. Emerald green was nice, neon green was alright, forest green was pretty, but that dark olive green made her sick. Something was truly wrong with that color.

Sonic seemed to notice her gaze and shrugged.

"Yeah, I wasn't so thrilled with the color either." he said.

A minute later he was back in the room, wearing a pair of plain old blue shorts.

"Much better." Amy smiled.

"How come you aren't wearing your suit?" he asked her.

Amy stared at the swimsuit in her hands. Rouge had picked it out for her almost a week in advance.

"But, Sonic," Amy frowned, "This is underwear."

He laughed, "Some suits _are_ underwear. Pretty much."

She wrinkled her nose, "But that's just gross."

"It sorta is," he admitted, "I won't blame you for not wearing one."

"But I don't have anything else," Amy sighed, "Maybe I shouldn't go, Sonic."

Sonic rolled his eyes, "Get over yourself Amy. We can get you a new suit in a flash."

"I don't want you to waste money on me."

Sonic rolled his eyes again, "Trust me, Amy. Money is not a problem."

It took barely a couple minutes for them to get to the mall, even less time to find the right store. Amy didn't catch the place's name, but it was filled with swimsuits of every imaginable color and type.

"So, watcha looking for?" Sonic asked, leading her down an aisle.

"Something that isn't underwear." she said.

"No kidding, dork-head."

Sonic rolled his eyes.

She blushed in embarrassment as he steered them to the appropriate isle. Strangely enough, Sonic didn't seem dazed the way Amy was. There were so many different colors; she couldn't find anywhere to begin.

"How about this?" Sonic suggested, pulling out a black one-piece swimsuit. He handed it to her and she turned it over in her hands. There was no back to the suit. She shook her head. They went through several more suits in this fashion until Amy's eyes fell upon a bright, eye-popping red one-piece. Sonic picked it up and handed it to her. It was fairly plain, except for large beautiful flowers running down the sides. She didn't know what kind of flowers they were, but she loved the suit anyway.

"Here, that one's too big," Sonic said, taking it from her, "This one should be better."

He already knew all of her sizes, courtesy of Rouge. Amy smiled, nodding.

Sonic grinned, "Good to go?"

She frowned, looking up at him.

"Maybe we could look for some shorts?" she asked timidly.

"Sure thing." Sonic grinned.

It didn't take long to find the right pair of shorts and before long, they were heading toward the register. They passed a clearance rack and Sonic spontaneously snagged a shirt off. Most of it was gray, but there were pink flowers covering most of one side.

"How about this?" Sonic asked, "I think you'd look great in this. Hell, I think you'd look great in any-"

His face abruptly turned red, his hand half-extended toward her.

"Sonic?" she asked, confused.

He abruptly shoved everything into her arms, causing her stumble back and jar her knee.

"_I'_'." he blurted.

He spun around and ran away, a sudden wind blowing through the store. Amy stared, blinking back tears. She swallowed, wondering what on earth had gotten into Sonic. He'd never done anything like that before...Was it her fault?

"Are you finding everything you need?" the lady at the register asked her.

She managed to nod, "Yes, thank you."

Amy, clutching her clothing tightly to her chest, turned and started making her way toward the back of the door. She remembered seeing a chair and it seemed like a better idea to wait for Sonic there.

Then the entire building shook. First there was a terrible screeching sound, like the metal itself was screaming. Amy dropped her clothing, hurrying toward the front of the store. She emerged from the clothing racks just as something burst into the food court. It was a metal box, maybe a little taller than Amy and as wide as she was tall. It hit the ground, shattering the tiles and crushing tables beneath it.

For a moment there was silence.

And the box began to unfold itself. An arm emerged and then another and then a foot and before she knew it there was an entire robot standing in the food court. It was the width of a normal person, but at least ten feet tall. It's block head was almost comical, but not its large heavy arms. The robot took a step, its Eggman insignia catching the sunlight. Amy's breath caught in her chest. She knew the robot had come for her. It was the only explanation.

But where was Sonic?

The robot raised an arm and swept the surrounding chairs and tables away from it. Amy watched in horror as people were engulfed in the wave of metal, screaming and pleading for help.

"Oh my god," the pretty lady from the register sobbed, "We're all going to die."

Amy looked at her. Sonic wasn't back yet.

Somehow she knew he wouldn't be back in time.

The robot was already moving toward the store, sweeping everything out of its path.

She couldn't let anybody else get hurt. Not for her sake.

Amy dashed out of the swimsuit store, the pain in her knee forgotten. Her piko-piko hammer _poofed_ into her hands, just as ready as she was. The robot saw her coming, because it picked up speed and tried to crush her with one of its large arms. She dodged and ran between its legs. It was turning just as she swung her hammer. It hit the robot's legs, neatly tripping it and sending it to the ground. There was a thud, but the robot was up in seconds, its hands reaching toward her. She dodged to one side, swinging her hammer with the intention of getting rid of at least one of those arms. Adrenaline pumped through her veins, her breath quick in her chest, an '_Im gonna kick your ass_' grin on her face.

This was something she lived for.

Fighting and kicking robot butt, comebacks and snappy comments.

She found it hard to believe that she'd ever forgotten the feeling.

She was good at this…until the robot got smart enough to grab her hammer.

One moment she was winning and then the next she was in the air, flying, and then hitting the ground. She must have hit her head, because the next thing she knew, she was in the robot's hands and it was crushing the life out of her. Amy tried to struggle, but only succeeded in hurting her knee again. She managed to summon a hammer, swinging at the robot's head. She put a dent in it, not enough to stop the thing, but enough to get it to drop her. She plunged down good seven or eight feet, landing on her behind. The robot lifted a foot and nearly crushed Amy. She scrambled out of the way, swinging her hammer around and bringing the robot down again. Only this time, she leapt on it; hammer poised and crushed the thing's head. It jerked, nearly throwing her off, but she hit it again and again until its head was flatter than tin foil.

Only then did she drop her hammer and limp away from the robot. She didn't get very far before her knee gave out and sent her tumbling to the ground. Amy bit her lip in an attempt not to swear, stretching her hurt leg out. There were tears in her eyes and aching things allover, but all in all, Amy felt pretty good. She certainly showed _that_ robot.

"We're saved!" a voice shouted.

"She did it!" another one did.

And before she knew it, there was a crowd of people circling her. Somebody helped her to her feet and then there were pictures and people hugging her and shouting their thanks and slaps on the back and little children smiling. Amy felt over-whelmed, but horribly happy and a little full of herself to, but it was alright every once and a while, right? And then there was another voice shouting her name and then Sonic was in front of her, his arms around her. He looked scared and worried and even a little angry.

One moment they were in the crowd of people and the next they were a good twenty feet away, next to the swimsuit store.

"What were you thinking, Amy?" he said, "You could've been killed!"

Amy felt tears in her eyes again, "I thought-you...you said it was alright to fight-"

"Not after you got hurt," he said, swearing, "Dammit, Amy, you're gonna kill yourself one of these days!"

She couldn't say anything, tears streaking down her cheeks. Sonic still had his arms around her and he hugged her tightly.

"Just promise you won't do it again, Amy." he said, a pleading tone in his voice.

She nodded slowly, trying to wipe her tears away.

The look in Sonic's eyes softened, "Let's get outta here before the reporters get here. We still have a beach to get to, k?"

"Okay." she said, her voice small.

Sonic had a funny red look on his face.

"Uh, good job, though," he said, "For kicking that thing's butt by yourself, Amy..."

"You mean it?" Amy said, a smile growing on his face.

"Yeah," Sonic said nervously, running a hand through his hair, "You're sort of the bomb, Amy."

She grinned, hugging him tightly, "Thanks, Sonic!"

He shrugged, "Let's get going."

"Wait!" a voice shouted, behind them.

It was the pretty lady from the store, with Amy's clothes in her hands. She pushed them into Amy's arms.

"Take them," she said, blue eyes half filled with tears, "You saved a lot of people and a lot of stores today. These are free and...If you ever need anything else, it'll all be free."

"No, I can't-" Amy started to say, but Sonic cut her off.

"I'll make sure she wears 'em," he said, "Thanks."

He had that smile on his face, the one that usually made all girls act a little funny. Amy had picked up on it before and knew that was how he got his way half the time. The lady already had a strange look on her face, a goofy sort of dreamy smile. Sonic thanked her and then looped an arm around Amy's waist.

"Ready to go home?" Sonic asked.

Amy looked up, meeting his eyes. He still had that funny smile on his face, only this time his eyes were a lot like the girl's who caught his gaze, dreamy and oddly glazed. He'd never looked like that before, let alone with his gaze directed at her. Time slowed for a moment, voices and people in the background just fading away into nothingness. Somehow, Amy couldn't look away from his eyes and why was Sonic just staring at her…?

She watched as his smile fell, replaced by the most serious, confused, but enrapturing look she'd ever seen. All of a sudden it was hard to breathe, part of her wanted to run away and the other part just wanted him to lean in a little closer-Sonic suddenly looked away, his face growing angry.

The moment was shattered, leaving Amy confused and feeling a lot like somebody had punched her stomach in.

Sonic's arms tightened around her waist and she was pulled behind him. In front of them were a wall of flashing cameras and reporters shouting at them. Amy felt terror rise in her throat; it was too bright and there were too many people surrounding them. She clung to Sonic like a drowned cat, begging him to take her home. He didn't seem to hear her in the chaos, but his grip tightened on her again, almost to the point where it hurt.

One woman thrust a microphone in her face, shouting, "Amy Rose, is it true that you had an accident and claim to have amnesia?"

A man shoved the woman away, "Miss Rose, have you and Sonic finally gotten together?"

"Sonic, what do you have to say about somebody else doing your job?"

"Is it true, Sonic, that you're working on a documentary with SSN?"

"No comment," Sonic was saying, "We need to go-"

"Hey, give them some space!" the woman from the swimsuit store shouted, pushing the reporters away.

She turned to Sonic and Amy, "You guys get home safe, alright?"

"Yeah, no problemo lady." Sonic said, escaping through the opening the woman had created.

As soon as they were clear, he scooped Amy up and ran for it. Another minute and they were home.

"Sorry about that," Sonic said, "Are you alright?"

Amy looked at him and burst into tears.

"What's wrong?" he asked, alarmed. He set her down on her feet, but she clung to him tightly.

"I'm sorry, Sonic," she managed, "I just…there were so many people shouting at us and…it was a little too much…"

She hiccupped, trying to wipe her tears away. Sonic sighed, throwing an arm around her shoulder and pulling her against him. She hardly reached his chest, but she reached her arms around him anyway.

"It's alright, Amy."

"Sonic, they asked us if we were together," Amy said, "We're not…right? You said we were friends?"

For a moment he felt panic swell in his chest.

Yup, he needed to keep her away from reporters…but he couldn't fo that for forever….

"Yeah, Amy, a lot of people like to think stupid things."

Amy looked astonished, "Like...us being in love?"

Sonic turned red, "Yeah, pretty weird, huh?"

Amy turned an ever brighter shade of red, "Ew! I'd never love you!"

"Same here." Sonic said, relieved that she hadn't declared her undying love for him.

"But...I can still like you...as a friend, right?"

Amy asked, looking up at him.

Sonic nodded, "Course you can."

She seemed relieved, "Okay."

There was a moment of silence.

"Uh, you ready for the beach?" Sonic asked, scratching the back of his head.

Amy nodded, "I can't wait! I'll go get ready!"

She turned and ran into the house. Sonic watched her go, running a hand through his hair. For the moment, he'd managed to throw her off. But it was getting harder and harder to keep doing it. He sighed, leaning against the door.

Why did everything have to be so hard when Amy was around?


End file.
